Joel Embiid’s Injury Report Status Revealed for Sixers-Knicks Game 2

After an injury scare in Game 1, will the Philadelphia 76ers have Joel Embiid available for Game 2?

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

The Philadelphia 76ers nearly found themselves dealing with a worst-case scenario during Game 1 against the New York Knicks.

As the first half of the opening matchup of the series closed out, the Sixers watched their big man Joel Embiid go down with an apparent knee injury.

Considering Embiid was already listed as questionable heading into Game 1, seeing him leave the court early to get a head-start on halftime had the Sixers holding their breath.

Fortunately, Embiid’s in-game setback didn’t prevent him from returning. When the Sixers competed in the second half, Embiid was cleared for action and checked in for 20 minutes to help close out the game.

The Sixers came up short in Game 1. Despite a hot start for Embiid, his second half efforts didn’t result in success. The big man drained just two of his 11 shots from the field. He scored 11 points in the second half as the Sixers were outscored 58-53. They collected a 111-104 loss to open up the playoffs.

While Embiid was cleared to return in Game 1, his status moving forward remained in question following the matchup. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse noted after the game that there was no plan to shut Embiid down. He added that the seven-time All-Star’s playing status moving forward depended on how he felt on Sunday and Monday morning.

The good news is that Embiid is not necessarily on pace to miss Game 2 against the Knicks. On the injury report, the Sixers listed the center as questionable, keeping up with the same trend of the last few weeks since Embiid returned to the team after a multi-month absence.

The star center might not be guaranteed to play in Game 2 after a scare on Saturday, but he’s surely not ruled out at this time. With the Sixers searching to steal a game on the road, they’ll need the best version of Embiid they can get, after he put together a 29-point showing in 36 minutes on Saturday.

The Sixers and the Knicks are slated for a 7:30 PM ET tip-off on Monday.