After kicking Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton during Thursday’s Game 3 win, many expected Sixers MVP finalist Joel Embiid to face discipline from the NBA. While he was able to ultimately dodge a suspenion, it turns out Embiid will be in street clothes for Game 4, regardless.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Romana Shelburne of ESPN, the Sixers have ruled Embiid out for Saturday after an MRI revealed he had suffered a sprained right knee.
Embiid won’t suit up for Game 4, but the injury shouldn’t keep him out longer than next week — assuming a clean recovery — and likely won’t impact the Sixers (who are sitting on the doorstep of a sweep) to a tangible degree.
“If the Sixers can get past the Nets here, there’s optimism that Embiid would not miss time in the next round,” Wojnarowski said.
After a nasty Game 3 filled with technical fouls and ejections, it is no surprise that a casualty emerged. The Nets and Sixers played physically on Thursday, leading to Embiid’s incident with Claxton, who stepped over a fallen Embiid after throwing down an alley-oop.
Embiid proceeded to kick at the Nets center, receiving a Flagrant-1 foul from officials. Later in the game, Sixers point guard James Harden got the boot after officials ruled he made “excessive” contact to the groin of Royce O’Neale.
Game 4 will undoubtedly feature more of the rough stuff, but Philly will have to go it without Embiid, opening the door — ever so slightly — for the Nets to crawl back into the series.
Embiid’s absence figures to go down as some backdoor load management when all is said and done, because barring a miracle, the 76ers are unlikely to blow a 3-0 series lead, with or without their star center.
