Though the Philadelphia 76ers have moved on to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they’ll face either the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks, head coach Doc Rivers did not sound too optimistic about Joel Embiid‘s availability for Game 1 of their next series.
“Not that I don’t have confidence, I just don’t know. I would say right now, it’s probably the same percentage it was before the game: 50% at best,” Rivers said during his April 22 postgame press conference.
“Probably 50% at best.”
Doc Rivers on whether Joel Embiid will be ready for the start of the Eastern Conference semis.
Embiid missed Game 4 after suffering a sprained right knee, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
ESPN Sources with @Ramonashelburne: An MRI revealed Sixers star Joel Embiid suffered a sprained right knee and will miss Game 4 vs. Brooklyn on Saturday. There’s optimism he could be ready to return as soon as early next week.
Despite not having Embiid for Game 4, the Sixers still managed to finish off the Brooklyn Nets in a sweep, but his availability going forward is something to keep an eye on, knowing the Sixers’ intentions to win a championship.
Seth Curry Sends Message on Joel Embiid
Nets guard Seth Curry, who played for the Sixers from 2020 to 2022 before being included in the trade to get James Harden, sent a message to his Embiid after hearing about his former teammate’s injury.
“I didn’t see [Embiid’s injury] happen, honestly, but I mean, he’s been playing a lot of minutes,” Curry said after the game, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “A big fella like that, you just hope he can stay healthy. Got a full playoff run. So he has a lot on his shoulders. Pretty much every superstar in the league, a lot on his shoulders, just playing a lot of minutes and a lot of wear and tear throughout the season, so hopefully, he can get back healthy and give it a full run.”
On the series, the former Sixer averaged 8.3 points while shooting 52.6% from the field and 33.3% from three in four games. Curry will be a free agent this summer, which could pave the way for a possible return to the team, but that will depend on the market he will have this offseason.
James Harden Singles Out Paul Reed’s Game 4 Performance
With Embiid out, Paul Reed was asked to step up as the Sixers’ starting center. Reed put up 10 points and 15 rebounds while shooting five-for-10 from the field in 32 minutes in the Game 4 victory.
James Harden singled out Reed for his performance after the game, adding the advice that he told Reed during the game.
“He listens. He plays hard. So you got to give him credit for that,” Harden said in his postgame press conference, per House of Highlights. “In the first half, he was getting really good offensive rebounds. He was just trying to go up and over to make difficult shots. I keep telling him, ‘Obviously, if you have a putback layup, then take it, but if you feel like you don’t have a layup, get the ball out, we can get a better shot’. In the second half, he did a better job of that, and that generated more opportunities for our guards.”
With Embiid potentially out for more playoff games, Reed will likely be featured in more games going forward until the MVP candidate returns.
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Sixers Receive Troublesome Joel Embiid Injury Update Ahead of Round 2