NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 20, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to sweep the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They’ll have to do it without their star big man and likely MVP Joel Embiid however.
Embiid suffered a sprained right knee during Thursday’s win against the Brooklyn Nets and will not play in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday, the Sixers confirmed on Friday night.
The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Sources with ESPN said there’s optimism Embiid could be ready to return as soon as early next week.
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It’s unclear when the injury occurred. During the second half of Thursday’s game, Embiid got tangled up with Cameron Johnson following a lay-in by the Nets forward. Embiid then appeared to have a limp. At the end of a timeout, he hunched over at the Nets logo for about 20 seconds. He continued playing for the rest of the game however.
Embiid fell to the floor several times during a physical Game 3.
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During the first quarter, Nets center Nic Claxton scored and took a step over Embiid on the ground and stared down at the All-Star big man. Embiid responded by throwing a kick between Claxton’s legs.
Upon review, the officials assessed Claxton a technical foul and Embiid a Flagrant 1 foul. Embiid not being issued a Flagrant 2 and staying in the game was a topic of frequent debate among local and national sports media on Friday. Sixers star James Harden was later assessed a Flagrant 2 foul with 13.6 seconds left in the third quarter for off-arm contact on Royce O’Neale. Claxton was also later ejected after taunting Embiid after scoring on him and earning his second technical foul.
