Embiid-less Sixers seek first win as they visit the Toronto Raptors

Embiid not cleared for back-to-backs

Joel Embiid has looked worth every bit of his mammoth contract extension at times throughout the first two games but he has yet to be cleared to play in consecutive games, and he will not dress tonight. 

Embiid is averaging 27.5 minutes per contest early this season, well above where many expected him to be this early in the season in terms of playing time. 

The Sixers will have to look to Amir Johnson, Dario Saric, and Jahlil Okafor (health permitting) to make up for the loss of Embiid's 14.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. 

Raptors bigs have a chance at a huge night

Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka are a formidable duo in general, and without Embiid playing they may be impossible to stop. 

Valanciunas was dominant against the Chicago Bulls in the Raptors' season opening win. The Lithuanian big man scored 23 points and added 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. 

Ibaka did not play as well as Valanciunas, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds in 24 minutes. With Embiid out and the Sixers varying usage of Ben Simmons on the block, the door is wide open for Ibaka to bounce back with a strong performance tonight. 

Ben Simmons off to a historic start

It was promised to Sixers fans that Ben Simmons would be a generational player, and just two games into his NBA career he has already lived up to that billing by putting his name next to legends of the game. 

Simmons is the fifth player to begin his career with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in each of his first two games, joining the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Connie Hawkins, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor, all of which are in the hall of fame:

Ben Simmons joins a pretty good list of players with 10 Pts, 10 Reb and 5 Ast in each of their 1st 2 career games (list from @EliasSports). pic.twitter.com/IVYyVjowNy

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 21, 2017

After matching up with John Wall and Kyrie Irving, Simmons will have to face another elite point guard in Villanova product and Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry tonight. 

It will be interesting to see if Simmons can extend his historic streak to three games.