NBA notebook: Knee soreness sidelines Embiid

In addition, an MRI on the right knee of guard/forward Furkan Korkmaz revealed
a meniscus tear, with a surgical procedure a possibility to repair the injury.

According to Sixers vice president of athlete care Daniel Medina, Embiid will
be out of action immediately and will be re-evaluated in one week. An MRI
showed no structural damage.

The third-year player, who scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 23
minutes of action Sunday in the All-Star Game, will undergo a treatment
program "involving physical therapy and load management." The team did not
disclose when the injury might have taken place.

--Washington Wizards center Dwight Howard will return on-court workouts, the
latest step in his attempt to return from spinal surgery.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Howard has been rehabbing
from the surgery, performed in November, in Atlanta.

Howard, 33, has played just nine games this season for the Wizards, who signed
him to a two-year, $11 million contract last July. In his limited action, he
averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, far below his career averages
of 17.4 points and 12.6 rebounds.

--Houston center Clint Capela said he expects to be back in the lineup
Thursday when the Rockets meet the Lakers in Los Angeles.

He has been out with ligament damage to his right thumb since Jan. 13. The
Rockets went 9-6 in his absence.

Capela has played in 42 games, averaging 17.6 points and 12.6 rebounds.

--The Golden State Warriors do not plan to limit DeMarcus Cousins' playing
time for the duration of the regular season. The team had been careful with
Cousins' workload since the big man returned to the court in mid-January after
recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon.

Cousins had been limited to 25 minutes per game, but coach Steve Kerr said he
and his staff would be more lenient as the team returns from the All-Star
break.

Cousins is averaging 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 11 starts with Golden
State. He has played an average of 23.4 minutes per contest.

--Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving expanded on the telephone call he made to
former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James earlier this season.

Irving broke down the phone call with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, saying he needed
to contact James, now with the Lakers, in order to move forward. Irving and
James led the Cavaliers to a NBA championship in 2016, but the duo could not
repeat the feat in 2017 and Irving eventually requested a trade.

"Now, mind you, I have no regrets in terms of any decision I made, going about
my individual journey and what I want and foresee for my career," Irving said.
"But for me, it's just ... apologizing, yeah, that was a step for me, just to
move forward in my life."

--Field Level Media