One week ago, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers were on a hot streak. After defeating the Boston Celtics in seven games, rallying from a 1-3 deficit, the Sixers have reached a low point.
With a 0-4 clean sweep, the New York Knicks have sent Embiid and the Sixers out of the playoffs. Once again, Philadelphia cannot make it out of the second round.
Much about this feels familiar for the Sixers, who watched Embiid battle through setbacks during the playoffs. Before he made his postseason debut this year, Embiid was recovering from surgery due to appendicitis. After recovering for 17 days, Embiid returned to the court for Game 4 against the Celtics.
While Embiid managed to play in three out of four games with the Sixers against the Knicks, he added two more ailments to the list. The big man dealt with a sprained ankle and a sore hip. By Game 3, it was clear that Embiid was far from 100%.
The gamble didn’t pay off, but Embiid was praised by the head coach, Nick Nurse, after the series.
Nick Nurse Speaks On Joel Embiid After The Loss
via Kyle Neubeck, PHLY: Nurse on coaching with/around Embiid’s injuries: “I commend him, man, he worked his ass off to get out there and play.”
“He certainly was trending upward toward the end of the Boston series…obviously, he gets the hip, ankle, injury that took him out a game, and I don’t think he ever got back to where he was trending.”
Leading up to Sunday’s action, Embiid was struggling with his shot, making just 35.7% of his field goals. The veteran center posted 16.0 points per game, along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
In Sunday’s blowout 144-114 loss against the Knicks, Embiid played for 28 minutes. The star center shot 8-8 from the field and went 6-7 from the free-throw line. He scored 24 points while producing five rebounds and four assists. It wasn’t nearly enough for the Sixers to keep up with New York.
The Sixers’ season ends in disappointing fashion, but now Joel Embiid gets to go through another full offseason recovering from his multiple setbacks.