Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar center Joel Embiid may be joining his teammate Ben Simmons on the sidelines for a while after Embiid exited Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a shoulder sprain.
Embiid left in the first quarter after being fouled by Cavaliers’ center Ante Zizic with 49.2 seconds left. Embiid would miss both free throws and was visibly in pain as he ran back on defense following the foul shots.
Philly would have to commit an intentional foul to get Embiid out of the game.
According to the Philadelphia Enquirer, Embiid then walked straight to the locker room to be examined. He would return to the bench during the second quarter, only to be brought back to the locker room a few moments later.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said he was “unsure” whether Embiid would play in Thursday’s home game against the New York Knicks, according to ESPN.
“I’m really sort of a prisoner to the medical people’s information,” Brown said. “I haven’t checked in. I just left the team. I’m unsure, I really am unsure.”
“I feel like when you don’t have Joel and you don’t have Ben, it’s an opportunity for others to put their hand up and declare this is who we are. It is who we are,” Brown said. “I felt from that physical standpoint we were C-minus.”