Joel Embiid may miss Friday night's Celtics-76ers showdown with an illness

BOSTON -- Kristaps Porzingis remains out, leaving the Celtics without their talented big man for Friday night's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. The Sixers may be without their own big man for the contest.

Joel Embiid was not at the team's shootaround Friday morning and is questionable for the game with an illness. He missed Wednesday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans with the same ailment, so this doesn't appear to be a case of "Hoforditis" for Embiid.

With Porzingis still sidelined with a left calf strain, Al Horford figures to log some more big minutes for Boston. He has stymied Embiid in the past, and held the Philly big man to just 20 points and nine rebounds the last time these two teams met up, a 117-107 road victory for the Celtics on Nov. 15. Embiid was a Sixers-worst minus-25 over his 34 minutes that game.

Boston and Philadelphia have split their two matchups this season, with the Sixers winning 106-103 on Nov. 8 at Wells Fargo Center. After Friday night, the two teams won't meet again until late February.

The Celtics currently sit atop the Eastern Conference at 14-4 and are a perfect 8-0 at home this season. The Sixers head into Friday's matchup at 12-6, good for second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.