Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ playoff matchup with the Brooklyn Nets featured no shortage of familiar faces. There was Mikal Bridges, who the Sixers drafted in 2018 and then quickly traded minutes later. Ben Simmons is technically a Nets, though he’s spent more of his Nets career watching games from home than as a participant.
And then there’s Seth Curry, the sharpshooting scorer who averaged around 13 points per game in two seasons as a Sixer from 2020-22. Joel Embiid and Curry formed a special connection together in the City of Brotherly Love, with the small guard one of the big man’s favorite outlet passes for a quick triple.
Embiid didn’t feature in the Sixers’ 96-88 win over the Nets on Saturday as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in Game Three. But after the Game Four finale, Curry sent well wishes to his former teammate.
“I didn’t see [Embiid’s injury] happen, honestly, but I mean, he’s been playing a lot of minutes,” Curry told Sixers Wire after the game. “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.”
Curry finished with six points in Game 4 for the Nets.
Doc Rivers Provides Concerning Update on Joel Embiid’s Injury
After the game, head coach Doc Rivers was asked for an update on Embiid’s knee injury, one that he picked up in Game Three and sidelined him for Game Four.
“I just don’t know,” Rivers said after Philadelphia finished off the sweep at Barclays Center, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who went on to give Embiid’s odds of being ready for the next series at “50% at best.”
According to Rivers, Embiid underwent an MRI after Game Three.
“But from my understanding, they checked his knee out right after the game because he was complaining about some [soreness] behind the knee, which is always a scary thing when it’s behind the knee with players. And there was swelling already, which is way too early, so we did the MRI,” Rivers said.
“As a coach, I hate that word,” he continued. “I hate those three letters. Because it never comes out well. It just feel like that, whenever they tell the coach, ‘Hey, we’re going to get an MRI,’ it doesn’t turn out well most of the time. And this one did not.”
Thankfully, the Sixers will get at least a week of rest after taking care of the Nets in four games and the Hawks prolonging its series with the Celtics by winning on Friday. The day off could be invaluable for other plays as well, like veteran PJ Tucker, who will likely be tasked with defending Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown if Boston advances.
Tobias Harris Praises PJ Tucker After Beating Nets
Tucker was monumental in the Sixers’ series against Brooklyn. The veteran champion is averaging six rebounds per game, including 2.8 on the offensive glass. He and Paul Reed have been instrumental in the Sixers leading the playoffs in second-chance points after finishing 27th in the category during the regular season.
After Game Four, Tobias Harris praised Tucker’s contributions.
“Experience is a huge thing in this game,” Harris said, per Sixers Wire. “Having guys who have been there, having guys who’ve gotten—Tuck (PJ Tucker) who has won a championship. You guys don’t see all this stuff, but from the layup line, the way that he was adamant about focus on we’re gonna win tonight. We’re going to sweep like, those type of things just show the winning attitude and winning nature of who he is.”
The Sixers now await the winner of the Celtics-Hawks series, which continues on Sunday.