Sixers Receive Hefty Fine After Joel Embiid's Return in Game 3 vs. Heat

Following their Game 2 loss on the road against the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers weren't quite sure if their star center Joel Embiid would be able to play

Following their Game 2 loss on the road against the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers weren't quite sure if their star center Joel Embiid would be able to play or not for their Game 3 matchup on Friday against the Miami Heat.

At the time, Embiid was in the NBA's concussion protocol. According to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, Embiid still had steps to take before getting cleared.

On top of having a concussion, Embiid is also battling a torn ligament in his thumb and an orbital fracture. While those setbacks are significant as well, the concussion was the factor keeping him off the court.

The Sixers listed Embiid as out for Game 3 on the injury report when Thursday rolled around. At that point, Embiid had yet to be cleared for action.

On Friday morning, his status suddenly changed, creating some confusion around the situation. As Embiid was cleared out of the concussion protocol, he was able to participate in the Sixers' Friday morning shootaround session. After participating, Embiid was upgraded to doubtful instead of out.

Although Embiid's status on the NBA's injury report made it seem as if there was a slight chance he would play in Game 3, reports about the situation told a different story. And after Embiid went from out, to doubtful, to active in Game 3, the NBA fined the Sixers $50,000 for violating the league's injury reporting rules.

The Release

"The NBA today announced the Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $50,000 for violating league injury reporting rules. The team failed to disclose center-forward Joel Embiid’s participation status in an accurate and timely manner prior to Game 3 of their conference semifinal playoff series vs. the Miami Heat on May 6 at Wells Fargo Center."

All along, the messaging on Friday made it seem as if Embiid went from out to questionable -- especially since 76ers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that Embiid would warm up before Game 3 to see if he could play.

However, since the Sixers kept the big man as doubtful without upgrading him once more before clearing him officially, they'll have to pay a hefty fine distributed by the league on Saturday night.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.