PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers will return home to host the Orlando Magic and they will be short-handed on Wednesday with Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined. George is understandable when considering the heavy workload for him in Tuesday's win over the Charlotte Hornets, but Embiid has not played since Nov. 20.

Sitting at 3-13 on the season after Sunday night's blowout home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sixers continue to desperately search for answers as a season they entered with so much optimism has turned into a total catastrophe. Predictably, the tenor of Sixers discourse around these parts has taken a turn for the worse.

The 76ers’ already tough task just became close to mission impossible — at least on paper. They will host the Orlando Magic Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center without Joel Embiid (left knee injury management),