Wizards' Bradley Beal Was Nervous for Sixers' Joel Embiid on Friday Night

Joel Embiid was a man on a mission against the Washington Wizards on Friday night. As the Philadelphia 76ers star got a little more than a week off before the matchup, the big man entered the game looking to dominate with high energy.

After checking in for 14 minutes in the first half, Embiid totaled for a game-high of 19 points, shooting six for nine from the field and going a perfect six for six from the charity stripe.

As he shook off the minimal amount of rust he had in the first half, Embiid entered the second half with the same intensity. Unfortunately, his risky dunk attempt in the third quarter backfired as the big man landed awkwardly and injured his knee.

Embiid remained on the floor, grabbing at his knee, causing the game to stop. Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook was one of the first players to surround Embiid as he was concerned about the four-time All-Star.

Eventually, Embiid was helped up off the floor and walking off the court and to the team's locker room on his own power. Although he had a noticeable limp, seeing Embiid walking without assistance was a positive sign as the initial look at his injury was a scary one.

“That’s always tough to see," said Wizards' big man, Robin Lopez, after the game. "I’m not sure what the results are. I’m sure we won’t know for a while. I hope he’s okay.”

Washington star Bradley Beal, who has a great amount of respect for Embiid and the season he's having, expressed his concern for the big man after the game as well.

“I hope and pray that everything is great for him," Beal said. "He’s having an MVP-caliber year. I definitely seen his knee was like, locked out when he landed, and that definitely made me a little nervous. I know he’s a trooper, he’s a soldier, and I pray that he has a great and healthy recovery.”

The good news is Embiid's MRI came back clean. As initially expected, he's not dealing with any structural damage. Instead, the Sixers' medical staff called Embiid's injury a bruised knee. While the All-Star will still miss a couple of week's worth of games, his injury won't threaten his season, which is a relief.

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