76ers' Joel Embiid Suffers Knee Injury; OUT vs. Mavs?
The Dallas Mavericks' matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday will seemingly be without one of the best players in basketball.
ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that 76ers center and reigning MVP Joel Embiid suffered "an injured lateral meniscus" in his left knee. Woj also said that Embiid's future is still in the air as the team's medical staff decides the best course of action for his recovery.
Joel Embiid
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Embiid got injured on Tuesday in the fourth quarter of the 76ers' 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Embiid was stripped by Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and as they both went for the ball on the ground, Kuminga landed on Embiid's left knee.
Embiid and the 76ers were drawing criticism last week when he was a late scratch for Saturday's game on the road against the Denver Nuggets. Embiid never appeared on the injury report, and the 76ers' handling of the situation led to a $75,000 fine. After missing two straight games, he returned against the Warriors and suffered an injury that may cut his season short.
Embiid has averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists through 34 games this season. Barring a miraculous return, Embiid's injury will also knock him out of the MVP race, as he has to play at least 65 games and has already missed 12 this season.
With Embiid seemingly out for the foreseeable future, the basketball world likely won't get a showdown between him and Luka Doncic next week. Doncic is inching his way back into the MVP conversation, as he averaged 37.1 points, 10.4 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game in January.
Doncic vs. Embiid would have been appointment-viewing basketball. Instead, the showdown between two of the NBA's best will likely have to wait until Mar. 3 if the 76ers center heals up by then.
