Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey Playing Status for Sixers-Knicks Game 2
Will Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey take on the Knicks for Game 2?
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take on the New York Knicks on Monday for Game 2 of the first-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Heading into the matchup, the Sixers had two All-Stars on the injury report, as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were both considered questionable for the game.
As expected, Embiid's status was due to knee injury management. For Maxey, his injury report status was due to an illness that popped up on Monday morning. When the Sixers gathered for shootaround at Madison Square Garden, the seven-foot center was present. Maxey was not.
For Embiid, he’s been under a microscope, considering he’s the most valuable player to the Sixers’ playoff run and has been dealing with a critical setback since before the trade deadline.
Leading up to the Sixers’ January 30 matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Embiid battled knee soreness. In the loss against the Warriors, Embiid suffered a setback, and needed to undergo surgery for a meniscus injury.
The Sixers were fortunate to get Embiid back in the mix roughly two weeks before the playoffs approached, but he’s been questionable leading up to every matchup.
Since his return, Embiid has played in six of the 76ers’ last nine games. He missed the April 7 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs and the regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets on April 14. Recently, Embiid played in the Sixers’ NBA Play-In matchup against the Miami Heat, along with their Game 1 playoff matchup against the New York Knicks.
Embiid’s questionable status leading up to Game 2 probably wouldn’t have worried anybody before, but an injury scare during the Game 1 loss against the Knicks generated some concern
Fortunately, Embiid's scare in Game 1 isn't expected to affect his status moving forward, as the veteran is cleared and available to play on Monday night.
As for Maxey, he's in the same boat. Despite missing the morning shootaround session, Maxey has been cleared for action and is available to face the Knicks for Game 2.
The Sixers and the Knicks will tip-off at 7:30 PM ET.
