Brett Brown Confirms Joel Embiid Is Out for Game 1 Against the Heat
In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show Friday, 76ers coach Brett Brown said Joel Embiid will miss Game 1 of Philadelphia's opening-round series against the Heat on Saturday.
"He will not play in Game 1, and from that point forward, we'll figure some stuff out," Brown told Patrick. "Unless something remarkable happens, Dan, I don't plan on him playing in Game 1."
On Wednesday, Embiid said it was "unlikely but still a chance" that he played in the postseason opener, adding that he is "actually surprised at how fast" his injury has recovered.
Embiid missed Philadelphia's last eight regular-season games after a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz left the All-Star with a broken bone around his left eye. The 76ers won eight straight with Embiid in the lineup counting the March 28 game he left due to the injury. Since losing the star center, Philadelphia continued its winning streak, pushing it to 16 games, which is a team record, and the longest winning streak for a team entering the postseason in NBA history.
Check out Brown's entire interview with Patrick below.
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=cPbHlOxTvos]
The 52-30 76ers will host the 44-38 Heat in the 3-6 matchup on Saturday for Game 1 and again on Monday for Game 2. The series shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on April 21.
The teams split their regular-season series with the home team winning every game. Embiid played in three of the four games between the squads during the season and averaged 19 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists playing 29.8 minutes a game as Philadelphia went 1-2 in those contests.
There is still no word on if the league will approve the black mask Embiid wants to wear for protection when he returns. Embiid explained that he can see better with the black mask because there is glare when he uses a clear one.
