Joel Embiid’s Injury Report Status for Sixers-Knicks Game 3

What's Joel Embiid's status on the Philadelphia 76ers' injury report for Game 3 against the Knicks?

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots over New | Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: Joel Embiid is AVAILABLE for Game 3.

On Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will host their first home game of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. For now, the team is operating with the chance of Joel Embiid potentially sitting out.

According to the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid is questionable for the matchup due to left knee injury recovery. While there is a chance Embiid could find himself downgraded ahead of Game 3, recent history says there is a better chance he plays.

Since returning from a multi-month absence after undergoing surgery for a meniscus injury in February, Embiid returned to the court on April 2 to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The veteran center appeared in three-straight games, finding himself upgraded from questionable to available in each matchup before finally getting some rest on April 7. Embiid would return to the court for the Sixers’ next two games before sitting out for the team’s regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets on April 14.

Since the Sixers needed to go through the NBA Play-In Tournament to clinch a playoff spot, Embiid was questionable before getting upgraded last Wednesday against the Miami Heat. After the Sixers knocked the Heat back a seed, Embiid had a few days of rest before Game 1 against the New York Knicks last Saturday.

As expected, Embiid was questionable for the first outing, but played. Midway through the game, he suffered a setback, which worried the Sixers at first. Fortunately, he returned to the floor to finish the game and didn’t expect to deal with any setbacks moving forward.

When the Sixers returned to Madison Square Garden for Game 2, Embiid was cleared for action once again. He checked in for 39 minutes, scoring 34 points on 41 percent shooting. The Sixers nearly defeated the Knicks to knot the series at one before it went back to Philly. Unfortunately, a dramatic ending resulted in a Knicks victory.

Thursday’s Game 3 is a must-win for Philadelphia. They need all hands on deck — especially Joel Embiid — as he’s the most prominent player on both ends of the court. While the big man is questionable for the night, it would probably take a setback to hold him out.

The Sixers and the Knicks will tip-off at 7:30 PM ET.