Sixers' Joel Embiid has Positive Update on his Knee Following Loss to Blazers
Philadelphia 76ers fans held their breath on Thursday night as Joel Embiid suddenly went down with an injury early on in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers. As the Sixers' big man successfully blocked a shot on defense, he landed awkwardly and seemingly injured his knee.
After getting up and attempting to play some defense, it was clear something was wrong. Shortly after, when the game stopped, Embiid grabbed at his knee as trainers tended to him on the court. Although the scene was tough to watch initially, there was a sigh of relief when Embiid left the court on his own power.
Nobody knew it at the time, but Embiid told his head coach Doc Rivers, that he would be alright before heading to the locker room to get his knee checked out. "I didn't see [the injury]. By the time I looked, he was up," Rivers said after Thursday night's game.
"I didn't even know what happened. Walking off, he told me he was alright and just needed to get it checked," Rivers concluded. Although the evaluation process felt like a long time, Embiid did return to the floor rather quickly. As it turned out, the All-Star center avoided a major injury and instead hyperextended his knee.
"I was pretty concerned," Embiid admitted after the loss. "You never want to mess with any injuries -- especially the knee. I kind of felt it when I landed, but I ended up coming back and pushing through it."
Coming back and pushing through was a massive understatement. In the second quarter, Embiid checked in for the entire 12 minutes. During that time, he went 8-for-11 from the field and knocked down all nine of his free-throws. In the second quarter alone, Embiid accounted for 25 of Philly's 29 points.
Embiid's dominant 37-point performance wasn't enough for the 76ers to come out on top. While a loss is never something to celebrate, at least the 76ers can leave Thursday night's game knowing they dodged a massive bullet after their MVP center had a major injury scare early on in the game.
"As the game kept going, I felt good," Embiid explained. "I wasn't all the way there, but I was just trying to push to make sure we get a chance. I feel good. I'll see how it feels tomorrow when I wake up, but I should be good."
The Sixers have the day off on Friday after wrapping up a back to back on Thursday night. They'll take the court once again on Saturday night to face the Brooklyn Nets. It's too early to tell if Embiid will be available for the big game on Saturday or not, but it seems the star center feels good for the time being.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
