The Philadelphia 76ers could be without star man Joel Embiid for the next three games with a knee injury.
Embiid has been dealing with tendinitis in his left knee and missed Saturday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He has already been ruled out of Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks and the trip to Atlanta two days later when they face the Hawks.
However, he could also be absent for Thursday's home clash against Eastern Conference leaders the Milwaukee Bucks.
Coach Brett Brown explained that Embiid's three-game absence with the potential of missing more is not a big deal, and that the team is taking precautionary measures to rest him before gearing up for the playoffs.
"It isn't ideal," Brown said of his team's health. "In a perfect world, you'd have all these guys together and playing, and playing a lot, you know, growing in relation to familiarity and so on."
Embiid has missed 10 games with the knee issues since the All-Star Break and the Sixers have had their full starting rotation healthy only 10 of 25 games since the trade deadline.
In addition to Embiid missing time, Jimmy Butler missed a game on March 12 and Ben Simmons was out last Monday with a stomach virus.
Despite the setbacks, Brown said the third-ranked 76ers should be able to maintain their 4.5-game lead over the fourth-placed Boston Celtics in the East without Embiid, if need be.
"You can go this way or that way," Brown said of resting Embiid in preparation for the playoffs. "The way that we have chosen to go is the wisest of our options. I'm sure of that."
The 76ers have six games left in the regular season until the postseason run begins.
