Getty Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during the first quarter of Monday's Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round series against the Washington Wizards.
If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to finish off a first-round playoff sweep of the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards on Monday night, they’ll have to do so without their best player.
NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid suffered a painful-looking lower body injury on a hard fall during a drive to the basket late in the first quarter. He seemed to be favoring his lower back and the tailbone area, was assisted to the locker room in the final minutes of the opening quarter, and didn’t return to the bench in the second.
It was announced during halftime that the oft-injured Embiid wouldn’t return to action for Game 4.
Joel Embiid will not return with right knee soreness, the Sixers say.
Embiid had scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in just over 11 minutes of action before departing.
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With Embiid out for the entire second quarter and Ben Simmons playing limited minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Washington held a 92-80 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Embiid Suffered Scary Knee Injury in Washington Earlier This Season
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during a game against the Washington Wizards in March.
Unfortunately for Sixers fans, seeing Embiid on the floor with an injury has become a familiar sight over the years. This season specifically, the Capital One Arena in the nation’s capital has now been the home to a pair of big Embiid falls.
During the Sixers and Wizards game on March 12, the big man went down with a knee injury in the third quarter and was removed from the contest. He ended up missing the next 10 games in a row.
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