
The Philadelphia 76ers are on the road on Thursday night as they travel to take on the Houston Rockets in an interconference showdown.
Philadelphia enters Thursday’s game with a 43-36 record after losing on the road to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
In Monday’s loss to the Spurs, Joel Embiid led the way for the 76ers as he recorded 34 points and 12 rebounds while Tyrese Maxey recorded 15 points, three rebounds and eight assists of his own.
Now Philadelphia will try to bounce back on Thursday as they face off against the Rockets in a tough road matchup.
On the other side, Houston enters Thursday’s contest with a 50-29 record after defeating the Phoenix Suns on the road on Tuesday night.
Amen Thompson led the way for the Rockets in Tuesday’s victory as he ended the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists while Kevin Durant recorded 24 points, four rebounds and three assists.
While both teams are looking to pick up a victory in Thursday night’s matchup, both squads may be without multiple key players due to injuries.
For the 76ers, they have two players listed on their injury report for Thursday, including Embiid.
Philadelphia has ruled out Embiid due to an illness after he was not listed on their initial injury report for Thursday's matchup.
The Sixers just ruled Joel Embiid OUT for tonight’s game against the Rockets. He has an illness.
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 9, 2026
With Embiid sidelined, it will be his first missed game since April 4 and it will likely allow both Adem Bona and Andre Drummond to have increased roles.
The 76ers have also ruled out Payne due to a right hamstring strain as he will miss his second consecutive contest and he is expected to miss at least two weeks due to the injury.
Injury report for tomorrow @ Rockets:
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) April 8, 2026
OUT: Cam Payne (right hamstring strain), Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery) #Sixers
With Payne sidelined, Quentin Grimes and Kyle Lowry could both have increased roles off the bench.
On the other side, the Rockets have three players listed on their injury report, including Tari Eason.
Houston has listed as questionable due to an illness and they may elect to sit him on the first night of their back-to-back.
Tari Eason (illness) downgraded to questionable Thursday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 9, 2026
If Eason is sidelined, Josh Okogie and Jae'Sean Tate could both be in line for increased roles.
The Rockets have ruled out VanVleet as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that he suffered in the offseason while Steven Adams will miss the remainder of the season while recovering from ankle surgery.
Fans can catch Thursday night’s matchup between the 76ers and Rockets from Houston at 8:00 p.m. ET.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!