Joel Embiid is undergoing surgery for appendicitis, the 76ers announced on Thursday.
The Philadelphia center had been ruled out for Thursday’s crucial game against the Rockets in Houston hours earlier.
Embiid last played Monday night against the Spurs, putting up 34 points with 12 rebounds.
The timing could not be worse for the Sixers and Embiid.
With three games to go in the regular season, Philly sits one game back of the Raptors for the sixth seed in the East.
They entered Thursday in eighth in the conference at 43-36, a half-game back of the Magic for the seventh seed.
If the season ended before Thursday’s slate of games, the 76ers would head to Orlando for a play-in tournament matchup against the Magic for the seventh seed in the conference and a first-round series against the Celtics.
The 76ers are also dangerously close to falling behind the Hornets, who are a half-game back and sitting in the ninth seed, in the standings.
If they fall to the ninth or tenth seed, the Sixers would need to win two play-in tournament games just to make the postseason.
The 7-8 game would take place on April 14 while the 9-10 game would be a day later, leaving Embiid little time to recover post-surgery for the Sixers’ likely play-in tournament run.
The first round of the NBA Playoffs kicks off on April 18.
The latest setback adds to yet another season in which Embiid has had trouble staying on the court.
The former NBA MVP has played in just 38 games this season, although he’s been effective when he’s in the lineup, averaging 26.9 points in just 31.6 minutes per game.
Embiid hasn’t played more than 40 games in a season since 2022-23.