Joel Embiid injury update: Will he be back for game 1 of the second round?
As they prepare for their second-round playoff series, the Sixers remain unsure as to whether their star will be able to give his best to the team in the next round.
Though they got the job done against the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers are continuing to sweat on the health of their biggest star who continues to battle against a knee injury. Can he recover in time for their second-round clash?
76ers unsure of Joel Embiid’s status
According to comments from Philadelphia 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers, there is a “50 percent at best” chance that star Joel Embiid will play in Game 1 of the second round. Embiid was of course absent for the Sixers’ 96-88 win in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, due to a sprained right knee which he injured during Game 3. “I just don’t know,” Rivers said after Philadelphia completed the sweep at Barclays Center. Incidentally, Rivers was actually asked prior to the game if he felt Embiid would be out as long as the series with the Nets continued, to which he responded by simply saying, “I can’t answer that. But I’m not sure. I will say that.”
Joel Embiid is key to the cause
As mentioned above, Embiid sprained his right knee during the Sixers’ 102-97 win in Game 3 on Thursday. Impressively, he still managed to play some 38 minutes of the game and was front and center to deliver a block on Spencer Dinwiddie at the rim when there was little time left in the game.
“The blocked shot was huge,” Rivers said. “But from my understanding, they checked his knee out right after the game because he was complaining about some [soreness] behind the knee, which is always a scary thing when it’s behind the knee with players. And there was swelling already, which is way too early, so we did the MRI,” he said. “...As a coach, I hate that word,” he continued. “I hate those three letters. Because it never comes out well. It just feels like that, whenever they tell the coach, ‘Hey, we’re going to get an MRI,’ it doesn’t turn out well most of the time. And this one did not.”
How do the Sixers cope?
Interestingly, Rivers joked pregame that, if the Nets “would like to trap all our 5s tonight, I would be really appreciative of that. I don’t think they should change their game plan at all.” Of course, Philly started Paul Reed in Embiid’s place and to his credit, he delivered. With 32 minutes on the night to the tune of 10 points and 15 rebounds, eight of which were offensive, Reed put in a solid shift that also included a block and a steal.
Something that may be of concern to the team, however, is the fact that Embiid has missed at least one postseason game due to injury or illness in five of the last six seasons. Just last season, Embiid was absent for the first two games of Philadelphia’s second-round series against the Miami Heat because of a facial fracture and concussion he sustained late in Game 6 of the first round against the Toronto Raptors. “I talked to him [Friday] night. I mean, obviously, clearly, that’s on your mind. Like, it is,” Rivers said. “But, as I said [to him]: ‘This is another obstacle in the story that we’re going to write this year. And you’re going to be OK. It may take a minute, but this is just part of it.’ He’s human. And goodness, this happens again. So, let’s win, let’s get him back on the floor and let’s just keep on our own journey.”
Now that they’ve eliminated the Nets, that journey will pass through the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, which Boston currently leads 3-1 after they won 129-121 on Sunday night. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night, meaning the Sixers may not have much longer to wait to learn who they will face. Either way, they’ve got a few extra days of rest which could be key in Embiid’s race against the clock. “Hopefully this rest is going to be big for him,” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said.