76ers vs. Celtics: Joel Embiid's Playing Status for Game 5

Going into their Game 5 matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers once again plan to have their star center Joel Embiid on the court.

As Game 5 approached, Embiid was listed as questionable on the injury report due to a sprained knee, which he suffered during the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

At first, the Sixers were unsure of Embiid’s timeline when he initially went down with the setback. After getting his diagnosis, Embiid was ruled out of Philadelphia’s Game 4 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Without the superstar big man on the court, the Sixers took care of business to advance to the second round.

When the Sixers battled it out against the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Embiid was downgraded from doubtful to out. In his absence, the Sixers relied on James Harden, who led the Sixers to victory.

With a 1-0 lead, the Sixers got Embiid back in the mix for Game 2. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help the Sixers overcome a motivated Celtics team that was on a mission to even the series 1-1.

Going into Game 3, Embiid was questionable before getting cleared for action. And for the second-straight game, the Sixers failed to come out on top.

Trailing 1-2 in the series, the Sixers were fortunate to have Embiid available for the third-straight game on Sunday. This time around, they found success with the star center on the court with a lot of help from James Harden, who had another 40-plus-point showing.

Going into Game 5, Embiid was once again questionable. Considering he’s played in the last three matchups, Embiid was widely expected to be available for the Sixers’ Game 5 battle against the Celtics on Tuesday night. It turns out that will be the case.

In the three games against Boston this series, Embiid has averaged 37 minutes on the court. During that time, Embiid has put up 26 points per game while coming down with eight rebounds per outing and blocking three shots per game.

On Tuesday, Embiid and the Sixers will search for a series advantage in Boston before they head back to Philadelphia for the third and final game during the second round.