NBA
Philadelphia lost the game, but did they lose Embiid, too?
During the second quarter against the Knicks, Joel fell down after a fierce slam and appeared to wince in pain before lying on the ground for a while.
He ominously disappeared into the tunnel while Miles “Deuce” McBride caught the Philadelphia team off guard by the Knicks’ tandem with Jaylen Branson, ultimately leading the New York team to break the rest of the Sixers. Fortunately for their fans, Philly only lost the game 111-104, not Joel Embiid, who returned to the game in the second half.
The score is 1-0 in favor of the New York Knicks and according to Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse, Embiid will be questionable for the next game, and the decision will be made at the last minute. The previous year’s MVP of the league injured the meniscus of his knee during a game against the Golden State Warriors and had to undergo surgery, causing him to miss almost half of the season.
Despite returning just before the playoffs, Embiid seems still not fully recovered and ready to perform at his best.
The biggest surprise of the first game was McBride, who is otherwise Jalen Brunson’s backup, scored 21 points, 13 of which came in the second quarter in which the Sixers - all together - had 12. For the Knicks, Brunson and Josh Hart each scored 22 points, enough to defeat the guests from the “City of Brotherly Love.”
“They defended their home court. We have to go home, watch the game, understand what we need to change, and come back here better,” said Philadelphia veteran Kyle Lowry. The second match between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers will be played on Monday night, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, again in New York’s Madison Square Garden.