Getty Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
The good news for the Philadelphia 76ers is that Joel Embiid has played in each of the team’s first two NBA playoff games. The bad news? The series against the Brooklyn Nets is even at 1-1 and Embiid enters Game 3 on Thursday night with his injury status still up in the air.
Based on how things played out in the first two games, Embiid is expected to play. Prior to the series opener, the All-Star center was listed as doubtful and still managed to play. He was upgraded to questionable in Game 2 and again took the floor, but has played just 24 and 21 minutes in the first two games.
Heading into a crucial Game 3, the action shifts to Brooklyn where the Nets will look to hold homecourt advantage with wins in the next two matchups. We’re going to take a look at the latest on the Sixers’ roster and starting lineup, along with Embiid’s injury status and impact on the rotations.
Joel Embiid’s Latest Injury Status & Updates
UPDATE: Joel Embiid has been ruled OUT.
It’s not surprising to see Embiid listed on the injury report once again Thursday, and it’s likely to remain that way for the rest of this series and possibly beyond if the Sixers advance. According to the NBA’s official injury report, Embiid is the only player listed on Philly’s side and comes with a questionable tag due to left knee soreness.
The good news for the Sixers comes from the fact that both Jonah Bolden and James Ennis are not on the injury report. Ennis was cleared prior to last game while Bolden had been listed as questionable in the two previous games.
As for Embiid, Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice previously reported that his injury appears to be knee tendonitis, and Embiid has been doing rehab and using a lot of ice to manage it. The fact he played just 24 minutes in the first game of the series, a 111-102 loss for the Sixers, is somewhat concerning. His 21 minutes in Game 2 may have had to do with the big lead Philly built.
We’ll update as additional information on his status comes to light.
76ers Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Nets
*Notates expected starter
C: Greg Monroe*, Jonah Bolden, Boban Marjanovic, Amir Johnson, Joel Embiid
PF: Tobias Harris*, Mike Scott
SF: Jimmy Butler*, James Ennis, Jonathon Simmons
SG: JJ Redick*, Furkan Korkmaz, Zhaire Smith, Shake Milton, Haywood Highsmith
PG: Ben Simmons*, T.J. McConnell
UPDATE: Greg Monroe will start.
It appears likely that Embiid will play, but attempting to sort out the rotations for the Sixers has been tough thus far. Philly exploded for a 51-point third quarter in Game 2 and blew the game wide-open, so 13 players saw court time. With that said, Embiid’s 21 minutes were less than Mike Scott off the bench while each other starter logged 30 minutes or less.
Regardless of his minutes, Embiid has still posted strong stat lines. In Game 1 he scored 22 points with 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists even though he shot just 5-of-15 from the field. Game 2 featured 23 points with 10 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting, but he did pick up five fouls in 21 minutes.
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