Knicks Have Big Reason to Keep Close Eye on First Injury Report for 76ers Series

Joel Embiid in a game against the Knicks. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Knicks emerged from their scrappy first-round series against the Hawks almost completely unscathed. Josh Hart did hurt his back prior to Game 6, but he showed no signs of being hampered as the team closed things out in overwhelming fashion.

Meanwhile, the 76ers toughed out Joel Embiid's absence for the opening games of their series against the Celtics before getting the big man back. His massive performances in his return helped Philadelphia turn that matchup on its head and get Nick Nurse's squad to the second round.

However, as is customary with the oft-injured star, Embiid isn't completely out of the woods yet on the playoff health front. Per The Athletic's Tony Jones, Embiid seemed to have hyperextended his knee in Game 7 against Boston, which led to apparent limping and "walking gingerly around the locker room" after the win.

Joel Embiid on limping and his health: “I feel great. I feel amazing. I was faking it.” pic.twitter.com/HwpOwbSWvz

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 3, 2026

While Embiid put on a brave face postgame, this plants a seed for injuries to define this series.

Joel Embiid's Game 1 injury status may deliver good news for Knicks

The NBA requires teams to submit their injury reports at 5 p.m. local time, so New York will get an answer pretty quickly on where Embiid stands. He told reporters after taking down the Celtics and receiving treatment that he was feeling "amazing," so things are not dire for the big man.

That being said, his body will react differently once the adrenaline of Game 7 wears off. Given how unpredictable he's been over his entire career in terms of feeling game-ready when dealing with an injury, it's also hard to take his words at face value since he has several days of testing his knee and pre-game warmups to get through first.

Maybe this issue isn't particularly serious, but it could still annoy the big man. Embiid being even a fraction less than 100% sets the Knicks up incredibly well.

Philadelphia showed how much it missed its leading big man, dropping three of four games to begin things with the Celtics. His return, though, allowed the Sixers to retake control of the boards (9.0 RPG for Embiid in four contests) and dominate the paint (28.0 PPG) with Embiid serving as the fulcrum (7.0 APG as well) to run the offense through.

Now, the Knicks have the size to combat Embiid in a way Boston absolutely did not. But a generational talent like him will find ways to get his, or at the very least cause problems for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson with flopping and foul trouble, even if he's not particularly rolling.

But if Embiid's knee is bothering him, that reduces his potential impact. He'd be a more vulnerable matchup on defense if his agility is lessened, while his ability to get to his spots on offense and orchestrate for others would be reduced as well. He already struggled with his three-ball (3-of-20 against the C's) in the first round, so losing some of his excellence near the paint would take away the one clear area he can help the 76ers right now.

Maybe everything comes out clean for Embiid for Game 1. But we know at any given moment things could take a turn for the worse with the mercurial star, and he's entering this series with some new injury baggage that could be relevant soon.