Sixers’ Joel Embiid will not play vs. Jazz on Thursday

#Sixers center Joel Embiid is not playing Thursday. pic.twitter.com/TXa9amDfMJ

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 28, 2016

 By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff

Sixers star center Joel Embiid will not be in action for the team on Thursday night, as they take on the Utah Jazz on the road.

Embiid just played a tough matchup against Demarcus Cousins and the Kings on Monday night, and will find himself having to play in Denver on Friday night, which would've been back-to-back games.

Luckily, instead of Embiid in the lineup, Pompey reported that Nerlens Noel will receive extended minutes in his absence.

With many people excited to see Noel play more with Embiid, it'll be interesting to see how Noel competes with more time on the floor, something he has been wanting for quite a while.

Joel Embiid will need all the rest he can take at this point, as one game here and there won't hurt his contributions to the team, as well as his probability of being selected to the NBA All-Star Game in which he has received quite a number of votes so far.

Embiid joins Gerald Henderson as the only players on the Sixers that aren't expected to see the court on Thursday night.