Just a few minutes into Thursday’s action between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors, Joel Embiid went down with an apparent knee injury.
The star center collided with a member of the Raptors and was down in pain. Embiid was seen pointing at his knee. The Sixers quickly got the game stopped so Embiid could come off the court.
Embiid managed to get up and walk back to the Sixers’ locker room on his own power, but he had a noticeable limp.
Shortly after Embiid went off the court, the Raptors went on a run to gain a double-digit lead, putting the 76ers in a tough spot early on.
While it was a long few minutes without Embiid, the big man managed to return to the bench shortly after he left the game.
Embiid checked back in with a few minutes left to go in the first quarter as the Sixers trailed big.
76ers Dealing With Injury Struggles
Philly’s frontcourt has been dealing with setbacks since the offseason. One of Embiid’s backups, Ariel Hukporti, suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason opener.
Adem Bona is currently dealing with his second setback of the season, after he missed the entire preseason. Both bigs are out for Thursday’s action against the Raptors.
Heading into Thursday’s game, Embiid was listed as questionable against the Raptors. Since the start of the season, the Sixers have noted that he’s dealing with plantar fasciitis. He missed two games as a result.
While the Sixers considered giving Embiid the night off to help with injury management, he was ultimately cleared to play. The Sixers watched the star center deal with a scare early on, but he managed to return.
