Sixers center Joel Embiid will sit out against Orlando, miss sixth straight game

Joel Embiid will miss his sixth consecutive game with tendinitis in his left knee when the 76ers host the Orlando Magic Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Meanwhile, Boban Marjanovic, Embiid’s backup, will be sidelined for the third consecutive game with a bone bruise and mild sprain to his right knee.

Reserve centers Jonah Bolden (sinus infection) and Amir Johnson (upper-back tightness) are both listed as questionable. As a result, Justin Patton, who was called up from Delaware Blue Coats on Wednesday, is the only healthy center on the roster.

Embiid said on Saturday that he expects to return before next week. The Sixers (40-23) will play again Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

Bolden, Johnson and Marjanovic did not practice on Monday, while Embiid was a little rusty.

“He just doesn’t feel like he’s ready to go,” coach Brett Brown said of why Embiid has been sidelined longer than expected. “He really does feel restricted with some of his movements, there’s a little bit of soreness, I think, still.”

Embiid had been dealing with knee soreness at different stages of the season. He even sat out the Sixers’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 30 because of the soreness.

This time, the center was originally scheduled to be out at least a week when the team announced he would be sidelined on Feb. 19. Brown said Wednesday that he expected him to return against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. One day later, the coach said “we’re still learning more” when asked about the re-examination of the knee. On Friday, Embiid was ruled out of the game.

Embiid said he could play if necessary. However, he’s sitting out another game.

The Sixers have three games over the next five days: Tuesday at home against the Orlando Magic; Wednesday at the Chicago Bulls; Friday at the Houston Rockets; and at home against the Indiana Pacers on March 10.