76ers list Joel Embiid as questionable for Monday's home game against the 1-5 Bulls

Joel Embiid's status is uncertain again. The Philadelphia 76ers have listed their center as questionable for Monday night's home game against the Chicago Bulls. The team's reason is right foot plantar fascia injury management, the same tag he carried for both games he has missed this season, Heavy reported, citing PhillyVoice's Adam Aaronson. Philadelphia sat him for Saturday's 109-104 win at Charlotte. If he sits again, it will be his first set of back-to-back absences this season.

Embiid has played in five of the Sixers' seven games and is averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.2 minutes, according to RotoBaller. Adem Bona started in his place against the Hornets and had two points, five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Philadelphia is also still without Dominick Barlow, who has been out since the start of the season with a low back stress reaction.

The opponent makes this a good night to be careful. Liberty Ballers noted that Chicago comes in at 1-5 on a four-game losing streak. The Bulls rank 29th in field goal percentage and last in three-point percentage, at 28.1 percent. Rookie Caleb Wilson, the fourth overall pick, leads them at 21.2 points per game, and Norman Powell adds 20.7. Chicago will likely be short in the frontcourt as well, with Nic Claxton doubtful because of a hamstring strain. This is the only home game on this stretch for Philadelphia. The Sixers then leave for a three-game road trip through Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, so the team has good reason to manage Embiid's minutes now.

What it means for Monday

The Sixers are 6-1, have won three straight and have won four of their last five. The only loss was a 106-93 home defeat to Detroit. They are 3-0 on the road and 3-1 at home. They have rarely pulled away from anyone. All six wins came by 11 points or fewer, and five of them by six or fewer. On average they score 108.7 points and allow 104.9, a margin of about four points per game.

The market expects a much wider gap against this Chicago team. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, Philadelphia is favored at -488 on the moneyline at Novig. The best Sixers price anywhere is FanDuel's -480, so the venues are only a few cents apart on the winner. On the spread, Novig lists the Sixers at -10.5 with a +104 price. The best alternative is theScore Bet's -9.5 at -115, which gives up some price in exchange for a point. The total sits at 239.5 at Novig, with Pinnacle's 238.5 at -108 the best Over number elsewhere. That total is about 26 points higher than the combined scores in Philadelphia's games so far, which average roughly 213.6. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.8 to 5.7 percent on the moneyline and 2.9 to 5.0 percent on the spread.

The number to watch is Embiid's status before tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. His absence would test Philadelphia's depth in the frontcourt. If he plays, the job is to get a margin like the one the market expects, so Tyrese Maxey and the starters can rest before the road trip.