Report: Joel Embiid in jeopardy of missing Game 1 vs. Miami Heat
The Philadelphia 76ers may be without big man Joel Embiid for the start of the second round against the Miami Heat.
On Friday, it was reported that the MVP candidate suffered an orbital fracture in the 76ers’ Game 6 victory versus the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
Joel Embiid may miss game 1 against the Miami Heat on Monday with the Orbital Fracture & will not return until he clears NBA concussion protocol [Min 3-5 days] an NBA source tells me!
It is very likely he will be wearing a face mask when he returns!#PhilaUnite #HEATCulture https://t.co/gGyzUhiNql
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) April 30, 2022
Embiid, 28, is coming off a monster regular season.
The All-Star put up a career-best 30.6 points and 4.2 assists on top of 11.7 boards per game during the 2021-22 regular season. In addition, he shot 49.9 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from distance.
While Embiid was seen as the MVP favorite midway through the season, his campaign lost a little bit of steam after the franchise’s acquisition of superstar James Harden.
Though the 76ers have both stars on their roster, they struggled to wipe out the Raptors in quick fashion.
The shorthanded Raptors beat the 76ers twice before Philadelphia took care of business in Game 6. Embiid gathered 26.2 points, 11.3 boards and 2.3 assists per game, while Harden put up 19.0 points, 10.2 dimes and 5.0 rebounds per game in the first-round series.
Clearly, Embiid shouldered the bulk of the work for the 76ers to top the Raptors.
The Heat, who will be taking on the 76ers in the next round, are prepared to battle against Embiid. In fact, Heat star Bam Adebayo discussed how the squad plans to contain the big man.
Now, the Heat may get a bit of a break with Embiid potentially sidelined. Miami has had its fair of shares of injuries too.
Heat veterans Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry sat out in the team’s Game 5 clinching victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Both players were among a batch of Heat players to sit out in the team’s practice on Friday.
