76ers vs. Pelicans Friday NBA injury report, odds, spread: Brandon Ingram in question; first-ever meeting of Joel Embiid vs. Zion Williamson

The marquee matchup around the NBA on Friday features a pair of All-Stars and probably the two most dominant paint presences in the league in the 76ers' Joel Embiid and Pelicans' Zion Williamson facing off for the first time as professionals. New Orleans' second-leading scorer, Brandon Ingram, is listed as questionable after missing the previous five games with a sore right foot.  Visiting Philadelphia opened as a 7.5-point favorite on the William Hill Sportsbook NBA odds. That spread could drop a bit if Ingram plays.

Friday is the first meeting of the season between these teams, and they played only once last season due to the COVID shutdown. The Sixers won 116-109 behind 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists from Embiid, but Zion had yet to debut as a rookie off knee surgery.

Thus, that makes Friday's matchup must-see TV. Embiid and Williamson were going to play together on Team Durant during the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, but Embiid was ruled out of that due to COVID protocols and that put Zion into the starting lineup for Embiid.

How dominant are these two down low? Embiid leads the NBA by a mile in averaging 11.85 free-throw attempts per game, while Williamson is third at 8.63. Embiid has a league-best three games this season where he has made at least 16 free throws. Zion leads the league by a mile in average points in the paint per game at 19.5.

New Orleans is 1-4 in the five games Ingram has missed (Zion missed three of those) following Wednesday's 139-111 blowout defeat in Brooklyn. Williamson looked a bit gassed in the second of a back-to-back with just 16 points -- ending his streak of 25 straight games with 20 points and 50 percent shooting. That tied Shaquille O'Neal for the longest such streak since 1954-55, when the shot clock debuted.

Ingram is averaging 23.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Lonzo Ball is also listed as questionable, but he has played the past three games. The Pels remain without key reserve guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker (left high ankle sprain) and Josh Hart (right thumb sprain) for multiple weeks each.

In part because of those injuries, the team recently signed former Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract and he's averaging 10.5 points in two games. 

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