Joel Embiid. Image via: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Boston won the first quarter 30-23 and kept pushing in the second, so Philadelphia was already behind before the fall. The center missed a transition layup, slipped on the landing and rolled over in pain. Embiid got up and ran back on defense, but the limp was easy to see. Boston also led by double digits at the break, and the Sixers need Embiid to find a rhythm after a rough start to his season. Both teams entered as the top two in the East, which made the scare hard to ignore. Embiid went up for a transition layup and missed. A slip of the right foot on the landing sent the big man crashing, and the planted left foot tweaked the ankle. The quarter ended seconds later, and Embiid limped to the locker room for halftime.
Joel Embiid went down hard in the closing seconds of the first half as the Sixers chased the Celtics on Tuesday night.
Embiid played 17 minutes and missed all six shots from the field, two of them from three. The nine points all came at the line, where Embiid hit nine of 11 attempts. Embiid went 7-for-19, missed both three-point tries and dropped to 3-for-30 from deep this season. The center did grab 10 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass, but most were cleanups of Embiid’s own misses.
The news after the break was better. Embiid returned to start the third quarter and snapped the shooting slump with a three-pointer. Neither moment settles how the ankle feels, and no further word on it had come out at that stage. Asked what felt off after Sunday’s win over the Bulls, Embiid answered with one word, everything, and framed the fix this way: “Figuring out how to just be myself again. Five rebounds and two turnovers rounded out the half. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Sunday against the Bulls was little better from the floor. Injuries have defined Embiid’s NBA career so far, and the main fear around this Sixers season was a physical issue cutting it short. A fall like this one brings that fear back. A hobbled Embiid would hurt Philadelphia’s chances of coming back in this game and holding its place at the top of the East.
The first half was rough even before the fall.
Edgecombe, LeBron James , and Jaylen Brown around Embiid, and a 9-2 start shows the team can win while the big man searches for form. Philadelphia has Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.