The Philadelphia 76ers might have to start their second-round series against the Boston Celtics without their superstar center Joel Embiid. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the knee injury that Embiid has been dealing with for the past two weeks turned out to be more serious than the 76ers expected.
Embiid got hurt in Game 3 of the first-round series versus the Brooklyn Nets and was originally diagnosed with a Grade 1 LCL sprain. However, further tests have shown that his knee is in worse condition and could keep him out of Game 1 of the Celtics series.
As Charania points out, Embiid has a history of playing through injuries, so there is still a chance that he could push to play versus Boston, considering how important every game is expected to be.
Speaking with reporters last week, Philly’s head coach Doc Rivers also hinted that Embiid wouldn’t be on the court for Game 1.
“I’ll say this, but if I was a betting man, I would probably say doubtful for at least Game 1. But we’ll see,” said Rivers.
Embiid is the favorite to walk away with the NBA MVP award after averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during the regular season. He had a slow start to the postseason but still managed to do enough to help the 76ers sweep the Nets in the first round.
