Joel Embiid Questionable for Game 5 vs. Miami Heat
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat are set to meet for Game 5 on Tuesday night. For the third time this series, the Sixers will pay a visit to South Beach as they attempt to steal a win on the road.
At the start of the series, the Sixers struggled on the road in Miami. While they put up an honorable fight in the first two outings, it was clear the Sixers missed their top star, Joel Embiid, who was dealing with a concussion and an orbital fracture.
After taking on two-straight losses, Embiid was cleared out of the NBA's concussion protocol and was ready to push through the pain and return to the floor.
Despite being ruled out for Game 3 initially, Embiid eventually found himself upgraded to available as he was ready to make his second-round series debut.
Embiid checked into the game for 36 minutes on Friday. During that time, he put up 18 points off of 12 shots as the 76ers put the Heat away with a 20-point victory.
When the Sixers and the Heat met up for Game 4 on Sunday, Embiid was once again present on the court as he scored 24 points in 38 minutes in the 116-108 win.
For the first time this postseason, Embiid will make the trip to Miami. However, his playing status down in South Beach remains questionable at this time, according to Philadelphia's Tuesday morning injury report.
Judging based on the last two games, Embiid will likely approach the matchup as a game-time decision, with intentions to play. And as long as there aren't any setbacks leading up to tip-off on Tuesday night, Embiid has a good chance to play in Game 5.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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