With the condensed schedule of the NBA playoffs and the quick turnaround for the Philadelphia 76ers after their seven-game series with the Boston Celtics, it was frequently wondered if Joel Embiid was going to be able to make it through a series that would play as many as seven games in 15 days.
Well, just two games in, we have the answer to that. The former NBA MVP was just ruled out for Game 2 with lingering ankle and hip soreness, per Shams Charania.
Embiid didn’t look healthy in Game 1, just two days after a dominant performance to lift the Sixers over the Celtics in Game 7. In the blowout Knicks win, he scored just 14 points on 3-for-11 from the field with a turnover while being completely exploited defensively. He was minus-24 in 25 minutes.
He’s dealt with balky knees for the past several years, but has also suffered oblique, foot, and hip injuries this season, as well as an appendectomy that cost him several weeks. He had played five consecutive games since his return in Game 4 against the Celtics, but with the reality that he hadn’t played seven consecutive games since December 2023, this always felt like a possibility. The fact that it’s ankle and hip pain, though, is notable.
The Sixers might’ve been willing to sit Embiid today because of the dynamics of this series. With no extra rest days, the organization might’ve made the decision to risk going down 0-2 heading back to Philadelphia while allowing Embiid to get extra rest, rather than overexert him and risk a disastrous scenario of a hobbled Embiid in the same perilous situation.
With Embiid out, expect a stronger Sixers defense, even if Andre Drummond isn’t the most stout defender. One big advantage that the Knicks will have is that Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns are now significantly less likely to get in early foul trouble, something that felt like a big key entering this series.
