The 76ers sidelined Paul George and Joel Embiid with injuries for the fourth straight game

CAMDEN, New Jersey — Joel Embiid and Paul George are 0-for-4 on the season for the 76ers.

Embiid and George’s debuts with the Philadelphia 76ers remain on hold, and both players will miss Wednesday’s game against Detroit with knee injuries.

Embiid and George participated in part of Tuesday’s practice and their playing status will be re-evaluated later in the week.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse declined to provide details on their health or potential timetable for returning to the lineup.

“We want these guys to play, we want them to be healthy, we want them to play great and we want them to play great throughout the season,” Nurse said after practice. “Then my main focus is on doing the job I have to do. I have to make sure that the team plays as well as possible tomorrow night. This takes up a lot of my focus.

George has yet to make his Sixers debut as he signed a four-year, $212 million contract as a free agent this summer. The 34-year-old has a bone bruise but did not suffer any structural damage as a result of hyperextension of his left knee during a preseason game.

George, a nine-time All-Star, was injured when his knee buckled while playing defense.

Embiid, who won an Olympic gold medal in Paris with Team USA, has struggled with what the team calls management of his left knee. The 30-year-old did not play in the pre-season.

The NBA is investigating why Embiid did not play in the nationally televised season opener against Milwaukee.

The league confirmed that the investigation was initiated as part of the NBA’s player involvement policy, which went into effect last season.

Embiid and George missed both games of the road series against Toronto and Indiana. Without them, the 76ers are 1-2 heading into Wednesday’s home game against the Pistons. Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of Philadelphia’s 13 points in overtime and finished the season with 45 points, helping the 76ers defeat the Indiana Pacers 118-114 on Sunday for their first victory of the season.

The 76ers will also host Memphis on Saturday night.

Embiid played in just 39 games last season, mostly due to knee surgery after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 against Golden State. He returned for the playoffs and was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy during a first-round loss to the Knicks.

Embiid signed a $193 million contract before training camp. The 76ers haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since 2001 – in large part because Embiid has failed to stay healthy.

The Sixers finished last season 31-8 with Embiid and 16-27 without him.

Embiid revealed before training camp that he lost 25 to 30 pounds to stay in better shape for the end of the season. This includes taking your time to recover from further knee problems.

Embiid was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, but missed his first two full seasons due to injuries. Since his first full season in 2016, Embiid has played in 433 of a possible 804 regular-season games and just 59 of a possible 67 playoff games.

Embiid sprained his right knee in the 2023 playoffs, costing him games against Brooklyn and Boston. He missed two second-round games in 2022 and another first-round game in 2021 with various injuries, in addition to two he missed to start the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and another in 2019, also with due to knee problems.