Joel Embiid spoke to the media for the first time since suffered a knee injury last month and confirmed he hopes to return to game action before the end of the regular season.

"That's the plan," Embiid said after Philadelphia practiced Thursday. "Obviously everything has to go right, as far as getting healthy and being as close as I'm supposed to be. But yeah, that's the plan."

Embiid was the frontrunner for MVP before the injury.

The team announced on Feb. 6 that Embiid had undergone a procedure "to address an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee" and that he would be reevaluated in four weeks, which is next Tuesday. 

Embiid said there is no timetable for his return, but he continues to feel good about his rehab.

Andrew Wiggins left the Golden State Warriors before the start of their most recent road trip due to a family matter.

The Warriors have no timeline for Wiggins' return, but he will be out for Thursday's game against the Knicks.

“We don’t know. We’ll respect Andrew’s wishes for this to remain private. Personal reasons," said Steve Kerr.

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan isn't ready to say Lonzo Ball has suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury. But Donovan didn't paint a positive picture about where Ball is at either, as he shared that the Bulls guard is still unable to sprint.

"I don’t know if he’s stuck," Donovan said. "He is doing some shooting, some running, some jumping. He hasn’t done any sprinting yet, that I know."

Donovan was asked if that's a setback and he stopped short of calling it that.

"They talked about that, and [sprinting] was kind of a goal, a set point. I do think the one thing that has been a priority right now, so he does not get set back, is he needs to develop more strength in his leg," Donovan said. "Because of him having that surgery and being off his leg so long, before he’s really able to ramp up, I think they want him to get to a place physically that relates to his quad strength. I don’t want to say it’s a holdup, but that’s where they want to get him to. In terms of what he’s doing, he feels better."

Ball hasn't played in a game since January 14, 2022. The veteran point guard missed the second half of that season, and all of the 2022-23 season. Ball has been ruled out for the entirety of this season, as well. That means the next chance for Ball to play will be over two-and-a-half years from his last appearance.

Joel Embiid's return doesn't have a fixed timeline yet, but the Philadelphia 76ers are hoping he'll return before the end of the regular season. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said there is "some hope" Embiid can return in late March. The Sixers believe that would give Embiid enough time to round into form ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Wojnarowski also reported that Philadelphia is about a week away from getting a timeline on Embiid's eventual return.

The reigning MVP was injured on January 30 in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He's missed the 76ers last 12 games. During that stretch, Philadelphia has a 4-8 record.

Paul George will miss the Los Angeles Clippers matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday due to left knee soreness.

George will now miss two consecutive games with the injury.

The Clippers play the Wizards on Friday.

Deandre Ayton left the Portland Trail Blazers' loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday with a sprained hand.

X-rays returned negative.

"I think there will be some further testing because he was in quite a bit of pain. I thought (Ayton) dominated that first half. Offensively, defensively, he dominated the game," said Chauncey Billups after the game.

Ayton, who suffered the injury in the first quarter but didn't leave the game until halftime, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Washington Wizards announced that forward Isaiah Livers will miss the remainder of this season due a right hip injury. Livers has an inflamed joint capsule in his right hip and the team says the injury will be treated conservatively.

Livers did not appear in a game with the Wizards after being acquired from the Detroit Pistons in a mid-January trade. Washington can make Livers a restricted free agent this summer by tendering him a qualifying offer.

MRI results on Jonathan Isaac's leg and knee showed no significant injuries, according to the Orlando Magic.

Isaac is questionable for Tuesday's game with a left knee strain.

Isaac is averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds on the season.

Chris Paul is set to make his return to the Golden State Warriors lineup on Tuesday.

Paul has not played since fracturing his hand on January 5.

"Chris will play all of the non-Steph minutes, and he'll be out there with Steph as well. It's easier for us to put Steph off the ball and take some of the wear and tear off of him when Chris is out there," said Steve Kerr.

OG Anunoby remains on schedule to return from elbow surgery and has not experienced any setbacks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Anunoby will be re-evaluated at the end of next week and could return to the Knicks lineup soon after.

Wojnarowski adds that Julius Randle's injury recovery from shoulder surgery remains "fluid."

"His inclination is to play, and it is to play even hurt and in some discomfort. That's his goal right now — to try and get back and play and put anything off until the offseason. But that's still fluid, that's not been fully decided," said Wojnarowski.