The latest on Embiid's right knee injury ahead of Round 2 for the Sixers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When will Joel Embiid be back?
That question remains up in the air, although any tidbits of information about Embiid's status draw attention these days given his immense importance to the Sixers in the playoffs.
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On Saturday, Embiid missed the Sixers’ sweep-sealing win against the Nets with a right knee sprain and head coach Doc Rivers put his All-Star center’s chances of being active for the start of Round 2 at “probably 50 percent, at best.”
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Monday on NBA Today that Embiid has a sprained LCL in his right knee and will be re-evaluated in the middle of this week.
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NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark confirmed that report Tuesday morning.
According to Rivers, Embiid had an MRI following the Sixers’ Game 3 win Thursday night in Brooklyn.
“My understanding is they checked his knee out right after the game because he was complaining about some soreness behind the knee,” Rivers said Saturday, “which is always a scary thing when it’s behind the knee with players. There was swelling already, which is way too early, and so we did the MRI.
“As a coach, I hate those three letters, because it never comes out well. It just feels like whenever they tell a coach, ‘Hey, we’re doing an MRI,’ it doesn’t turn out well most of the time. And this one did not.”
The situation is somewhat reminiscent of Embiid’s 2021 postseason. After suffering a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during the Sixers’ Round 1, Game 4 loss to the Wizards, Embiid sat out the team’s Game 5 victory. He then played through the meniscus tear for the entirety of the Sixers’ seven-game defeat to the Hawks in the second round.
If the Celtics complete a first-round series win over Atlanta on Tuesday, the Sixers' Round 2 matchup will begin Saturday in Boston. If the Hawks extend the series with a road victory, the Sixers wouldn't begin the second round until Monday.
