After an upset win in Boston in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, the Sixers could have reinforcements on the way as the series turns to South Philadelphia.
The Sixers said on Thursday afternoon that Joel Embiid participated “in parts” of practice the day before the team’s Game 3 matchup with the Celtics.
This would be quite the turnaround for Embiid, who had an emergency appendectomy on April 9 that has kept him off the court since then. The team stated on April 20 that Embiid has started a strength and conditioning program as he’s recovered from that surgery.
To say that an Embiid return this weekend, whether for Game 3 on Friday or Game 4 on Sunday, would be a boost for the Sixers would be a colossal understatement. The Sixers hung tough while stealing a road victory on Tuesday, but they’ve been getting nothing from their big men. Even a version of Embiid that’s not 100 percent, which Sixers fans have been accustomed to seeing in the postseason anyway, would do wonders for their chances of prolonging this series against the vaunted Celtics.
Embiid’s getting back into action would mean this is the fourth time he’s faced Boston in the playoffs during his career. While 2018 and 2020 saw the Celtics making quick work of the team, that 2023 loss still stings. I’m not necessarily banking on it, but perhaps Embiid combining with the backcourt duo of VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey could have the Sixers doing something they haven’t done in 44 years: eliminating the Celtics.
