Joel Embiid

After missing two games with a mild concussion and an orbital fracture suffered in the first round against the Toronto Raptors, Joel Embiid returned to the court Friday for the Philadelphia 76ers' Game 3 matchup against the Miami Heat.

Embiid helped lead the Sixers to a 99-79 win at Wells Fargo Center to help his team avoid a 3-0 second-round hole. Afterward, he condemned Raptors fans for chanting "f--k Embiid" during the opening round of the playoffs and celebrating his injuries.

Embiid suffered the injuries when Raptors forward Pascal Siakam inadvertently elbowed him while driving to the basket in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The 76ers were up 119-90 at the time, and fans began questioning why head coach Doc Rivers even had Embiid in the game. 

After the Game 6 defeat, Siakam sent his apologies to Embiid and explained what happened. 

"Obviously, on the play [after], I feel bad—awful that I hit his face—but I was trying to make a move," Siakam told reporters. "I apologized to him after that. You know, that was definitely not my intention."

Embiid had to wear a protective mask for Game 3. He finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. 

Philadelphia was waiting for the MVP candidate to return after he finished the regular season averaging 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game and followed it up with an impressive first-round performance.

The 28-year-old averaged 26.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in six games against the Raptors. 

In Embiid's absence, the Sixers failed to get much production out of DeAndre Jordan, Paul Reed and Georges Niang. Luckily for Philadelphia, it seems like the veteran is going to continue playing through the ailment. 

The Sixers and Heat will meet again Sunday for Game 4, with Philadelphia looking to tie the series. 

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers aren't going down without a fight. 

The Sixers defeated the Heat 99-79 in Game 3 of their second-round matchup on Friday at Wells Fargo Center to cut Miami's series lead 2-1. It was Embiid's first game since suffering a mild concussion and an orbital fracture in the team's first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, and he had a pretty awesome way of celebrating after the win.

Embiid posted the viral "we back up" meme from The Wire shortly after the game, letting everyone know that he and the Sixers are going to do whatever it takes to win the series now that he's back in the lineup. 

Embiid had a solid performance in Game 3 despite wearing a face mask to protect him from further injury. The MVP candidate finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block to help lead the 76ers to victory. 

James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Danny Green also saw elevated performances in Embiid's return. 

The Sixers will look to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday. 

The Philadelphia 76ers desperately need Joel Embiid back on the floor after falling behind 0-2 against the Miami Heat, but head coach Doc Rivers didn't confirm he will return in Game 3.

"I really don't know," Rivers told reporters Wednesday.

Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and concussion in last Thursday's win over the Toronto Raptors, causing him to miss Games 1 and 2 of the second-round series against Miami.

"He looked good, as far as talking," Rivers said of Embiid. "But he's got so many steps to go through, and I don't think he's cleared any of them right now. So we just have to wait and see."

Philadelphia is scheduled to host the Heat in Game 3 on Friday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that Embiid could return as soon as Game 3 if he clears protocols, likely wearing a protective mask.

Embiid had already been dealing with a torn ligament in his right thumb, but he is a difference-maker whenever he is on the court.

The center led the NBA in scoring this season at 30.6 points per game, adding 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. His 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors helped the 76ers close out the first-round series.

Philadelphia hasn't been as dangerous without him, losing the first two games by a combined 30 points.

"It changes dramatically," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Embiid's impact. "You're talking about MVP talent, you know? So we'll just have to see."

If the five-time All-Star remains out, the 76ers will need a lot more from James Harden offensively while Paul Reed and DeAndre Jordan try to pick up the slack in the frontcourt.    

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid is "doing a lot better," but the All-Star center remains without a timetable for his return.

"I know he did something yesterday, but not much, and I know he's feeling a lot better," Rivers told reporters Tuesday. "I don't want to give false hope either. So I'll just stop there."

Embiid did not travel to Miami for Games 1 and 2 of the Sixers' Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup against the Heat, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported he could be back in the lineup for Game 3 or 4 in Philadelphia.

The Sixers struggled in Game 1 without Embiid, with their offense sputtering in a 106-92 loss. Philadelphia shot an abysmal 6-of-34 from beyond the arc, with James Harden failing to step up in Embiid's place and Doc Rivers struggling to find a cogent rotation.

Embiid's potential return when the series moves to Philadelphia is promising, but it's fair to wonder how much he has left. Not only is the MVP candidate recovering from a concussion and fractured orbital bone in his left eye, but he's also dealing with a torn ligament in his right thumb suffered in the Sixers' first-round win over Toronto.

A 75 percent version of Embiid is better than the struggle-bus big man rotation the Sixers threw out there Monday night. That said, it's unclear if a diminished Embiid and a struggling Harden will be enough to take out the Heat. 

Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid was reportedly still dealing with concussion symptoms as of Monday.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the big man was  feeling the effects of the injury he suffered during Philly's first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors as the Sixers dropped Game 1 of their second-round series against the Miami Heat 106-92.

Per Shelburne, Embiid will have to exit concussion protocol and get cleared to play through an orbital fracture in order to return to the court. If "everything goes as well as it possibly could," Embiid could possibly return for Game 3 or 4, wearing a protective mask.

Embiid got beat up physically against Toronto. He suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb in Game 3 that will require offseason surgery, though he played through the injury. 

Late in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia's 132-97 victory in Game 6, he was inadvertently elbowed in the face by Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. It was revealed he suffered an orbital fracture and mild concussion on the play. 

The Sixers officially listed the five-time All-Star as out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported he didn't travel with the team for Games 1 and 2, but there's optimism he could return for either Game 3 or 4 in Philadelphia. 

The team goes as Embiid goes. He scored at least 30 points and grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of the Sixers' final three wins in the series against Toronto. 

Not having the Cameroonian available for at least one more game puts even more pressure on James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to carry the load for the Sixers.

Harden was fantastic in the decisive Game 6 against the Raptors. The former NBA MVP had 22 points (7-of-12 field goals) and 15 assists, and Maxey scored a season-high 38 points in Game 1 vs. the Raptors.

If the 76ers can get those kinds of performances from Harden and Maxey consistently, Embiid's absence won't loom as large. If they don't, it's going to be difficult for this team to compete against the Heat.

The Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Miami Heat by eight points during the 31 minutes big man DeAndre Jordan was on the bench in Monday's game against the Miami Heat.

Yet they lost 106-92 because they were outscored by 22 points during the 17 minutes he played.

That would seem to necessitate changes, but 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has different plans.

"We are going to keep starting him [DeAndre Jordan] whether you like it or not because our guys believe in him," he told reporters after the loss, which gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the second-round series.

While the quote made Rivers appear somewhat stubborn in his ways given what unfolded on the court, this also isn't the situation he and the 76ers expected to find themselves in after eliminating the Toronto Raptors in the first round.

After all, Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the entire NBA and was in the MVP discussion throughout the season. He is supposed to be starting and anchoring the front line for 40-plus minutes, but he suffered a right orbital fracture and concussion that will keep him sidelined for at least the first two games in this series.

That left Philadelphia scrambling for answers, and Rivers turned to Jordan for Game 1.

It didn't work.

He finished with four points and two rebounds while struggling on defensive assignments and serving as mostly a nonfactor unless he was near the rim on offense. He looked nothing like he did in his prime when he was soaring for alley-oops as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul Reed looked like a much better option with four points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 13 minutes of action, but his time was limited by foul trouble with five in that span alone.

Paul Millsap struggled while going scoreless in six minutes, and Georges Niang was arguably worse with zero points on 0-of-7 shooting from the field in 22 minutes.

Rivers isn't exactly working with the best options with Embiid sidelined, but he will apparently stick with Jordan for Game 2.            

While star center Joel Embiid sat out because of an orbital fracture and concussion, the Philadelphia 76ers needed James Harden to play like the former NBA MVP he is in Monday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Harden didn't come close to his prime form as he put forth a lackluster performance in a 106-92 loss at FTX Arena. Harden scored 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting with nine rebounds, five assists and five turnovers. It had already been expected that the Sixers would face an uphill battle against the top-seeded Heat, but Philadelphia has no chance in the series if Harden continues to play like this.

Naturally, fans on social media called out Harden for his quiet night.

As Harden struggled, his Sixers teammates weren't that much better. Tobias Harris scored 27 points and Tyrese Maxey added 19, but they were the only bright spots. Philadelphia shot just 6-of-34 (17.6 percent) from three-point range against a staunch Miami defense.

But despite impressively locking up the Sixers, the Heat shot just 43.5 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. Some fans were disappointed that Philadelphia wasted a chance to steal a road win thanks to its own subpar shooting.

The Sixers are optimistic that Embiid could return as soon as Game 3 or 4 when the series heads back to Philadelphia, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The team has to hold on to that hope because it cannot depend on Harden to lead the way to victory. Regardless of his history of postseason woes, Harden has not displayed the dominance we've grown accustomed to seeing from him at all this season, and he can no longer be counted on as a consistent lead option.

On the other side, Jimmy Butler (15 points and nine rebounds), Tyler Herro (25 points and seven assists) and Bam Adebayo (24 points and 12 rebounds) led the way for the Heat.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid suffered a thumb injury during Game 3 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. And while The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported there is fear he suffered a torn ligament in his thumb, the veteran plans to continue playing through the ailment. 

Speaking with reporters after a 110-102 Game 4 loss to the Raptors, Embiid said he plans to play through the injury throughout the duration of the postseason, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. If an MRI reveals he needs surgery, he'll undergo the procedure after the playoffs. 

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers also said after Saturday's loss that the team feels Embiid's thumb injury can't get any worse. 

"Yeah, there's concern," he said, according to Bontemps. "But, you know, it is what it is. The one thing we know [is] it can't get worse."

Embiid's thumb injury has yet to limit him this postseason. In Saturday's loss, he finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He entered Game 4 having averaged 27.7 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists through the first three games of the series.

If he were to experience some limitations, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris would be able to carry the load for Philadelphia.

Embiid has been one of the best players in the NBA this season and is an MVP candidate after averaging 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists through 68 regular-season games. 

Philadelphia still owns a 3-1 series lead over Toronto and could close out the series with a Game 5 win on Monday at Wells Fargo Center. Winning the series Monday would benefit Embiid and allow him to get some extra rest ahead of the second round.

Seeing as how the Sixers have championship aspirations, Embiid could be waiting a while to potentially have surgery on his thumb. But if the team's playoff run ends with an NBA title, playing through the pain would have been well worth it. 

The short-handed Toronto Raptors were physical with Joel Embiid during a chippy start to Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday in a clear attempt to prove they weren't going to back down after losing the first contest.

All it did was fire up the MVP candidate.

Embiid torched Toronto's frontcourt with 31 points and 11 rebounds while leading the 76ers to a commanding 112-97 victory in a game that was never truly in doubt. While the Raptors didn't have Scottie Barnes (ankle) and saw Gary Trent Jr. exit (non-COVID-19 illness), their biggest issue was their frontcourt of Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher and Khem Birch couldn't stop the five-time All-Star on the other side.

Raptors fans were surely frustrated watching Embiid attempt 12 free throws in the first quarter alone, but the whistle became less of a concern as the game progressed and the big man's teammates started taking advantage of the spacing he created.

Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Tobias Harris and Danny Green also finished in double figures with Maxey drilling a clutch three to end a rare stretch of Toronto momentum in the fourth quarter.

The Raptors can at least take solace knowing the series shifts back to Toronto for Wednesday's Game 3, but it won't matter if they can't slow down Embiid and Co.