Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said it was an easy decision to sit Joel Embiid for the NBA clash with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Embiid was absent from Sunday's frustrating 116-100 defeat at home to the Memphis Grizzlies after returning from a 10-game injury lay-off on Saturday.

All-Star and MVP candidate Embiid posted 24 points, eight rebounds and two assists in Philadelphia's 122-113 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, having been sidelined due to bone bruising to his left knee.

The 76ers did not take any risks with Embiid, however, as they prevented their star from featuring in back-to-back games.

"His first game back was yesterday [Saturday]," Rivers explained prior to the 76ers' defeat to the Grizzlies in Philadelphia.

"I would say, any player, not just Joel, any player who's been out for three weeks and plays in a game, you probably don't play on the next night. It's just smart."

Rivers added: "This one is pretty simple. I don't think this is a hard decision for any of us.

"All the other ones, we go by game by game and day by day, but this one didn't take a lot of thought."

The 76ers and Brooklyn Nets share identical 34-16 records atop the Eastern Conference.