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One of the Philadelphia 76ers’ worst fears may be staring them in the face after Joel Embiid suffered a knee injury in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Washington Wizards. The injury was severe enough that the 2021 MVP finalist went to the locker room to have it checked in the first quarter of Monday’s matchup.
The oft-injured center was leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a first-round sweep of the Washington Wizards in the 2021 NBA Playoffs when the incident occurred. The Sixers lead the series 3-1 after the Wizards found new life with Embiid out of Game 4, winning 122-114.
How did Joel Embiid’s knee injury happen?
Joel Embiid suffered the injury after falling hard on his backside when Washington Wizards center Robin Lopez blocked his shot in the lane with 4:43 to go in the quarter. Embiid was able to stand up and return to the bench before going back in.
He left the floor for good with 36.5 seconds left in the quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
At the time of the injury, Joel Embiid had eight points and six rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
The extent of Joel Embiid’s knee injury
The initial diagnosis of Joel Embiid's injury was right knee soreness. It is an injury that some players can play through, depending on the severity.
The injury could cause the Philadelphia 76ers star to miss a few games or none at all.
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins missed one game this season because of knee soreness and came back to play in the next game.
Depending on how bad Joel Embiid’s injury is, the Philadelphia 76ers could sit him out of Game 5 to give him more time to rest before his return to the court.
If the injury is worse than expected after further evaluation and Embiid were to miss more time on the court, it could severely impact the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff run. The Sixers center is the anchor to the team's offense and defense. How will they replace his 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a night?
It would be an almost impossible task, especially if the Philadelphia 76ers were to advance to the second round and face the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The series could be over instantly if Joel Embiid can’t play in the first two games.
The Philadelphia 76ers were 7-3 during the regular season when Embiid was out for about three weeks with an injury. However, this is the playoffs, and his value to the team rises as the opponents they face become more formidable.
Who can replace Joel Embiid in the lineup?
Should Joel Embiid miss out on any time on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers will likely deploy either Dwight Howard or Mike Scott in the starting lineup. Both players started when Embiid had to sit out because of an injury or rest management this season.
Howard played in 69 games this season and started in six of them. He averaged 7.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and nearly a block per game in 17.3 minutes. Meanwhile, Scott played in 51 games for the Sixers, with nightly numbers of 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes of playing time.
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