76ers News: Draymond Green Reflects on Joel Embiid Suiting up vs Warriors

On Tuesday night, Joel Embiid made his return to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup after missing the previous two games. Minutes into the game, it was clear that the reigning MVP was still dealing with a knee injury that caused him to sit out.

Embiid ended up playing 29 minutes against the Golden State Warriors and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists. This outing officially put an end to his consecutive 30-point games streak.

Following this outing, Draymond Green discussed Embiid suiting up in this matchup on his podcast. He feels the sole reason he played was because of the NBA's new 65-game rule regarding awards. If Embiid wants to be eligible for a second straight MVP, he'll have to reach this games played mark.

"Joel playing tonight felt very much so because of the 65 game limit, where I think is actually quite bullshit," Green said. "You get Joel, who comes out there tonight and he forces it...I don't really bang with it. Now we got one of you premiere faces in this league, the MVP of our league, possibly hurt for an extended period of time."

Embiid ended up having to leave this game early because of an incident involving Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. While the two were battling for the ball, he ended up falling on Embiid's knee. The Sixers star immediately began clutching his knee as the play went on.

Joel Embiid is headed to the locker room after Jonathan Kuminga fell on him

Hope he's ok 🙏 pic.twitter.com/iZysg8pULR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2024

After the game, Nick Nurse stated that what happened Tuesday was separate from what kept him out of the previous two games. The All-Star big man is expected to receive an MRI.

Nick Nurse says that the injury that forced Embiid to leave the game in the fourth quarter was unrelated to the injury that has held him out recently. Embiid will get an MRI.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) January 31, 2024

Even with getting Embiid back, the Sixers were not able to put an end to their losing streak against the Warriors. They'll be back in action Thursday as they continue their road trip with a matchup against the Utah Jazz. Following this play with Kuminga, Embiid will likely continue to be a game-time decision as he works through this knee injury.