Joel Embiid update: 76ers star returns from knee injury vs. Thunder after two-month absence

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Philadelphia 76ers celebrity Joel Embiid made his return Tuesday from a knee damage that sidelined the reigning NBA MVP for 2 months. He was in Philly’s beginning lineup towards the Thunder for his first motion since Jan. 30. Embiid has been sidelined for the final two months with a left meniscus damage that required surgical procedure.

Embiid reportedly didn’t take part in Tuesday’s shootaround, however he was upgraded to questionable towards the Thunder lower than two hours earlier than tip-off and finally bought the nod.

Getting their huge man again is clearly huge information for the Sixers, who at present sit eighth within the Jap Convention and have fallen down the standings with out their franchise centerpiece. There was some thought that Embiid was nearing a return after Sixers coach Nick Nurse mentioned final week that the star huge man would be a part of the group on the highway journey with a view to work out. On the time Nurse did not give a timetable for Embiid’s return, nevertheless it seems as if his rehab moved at a swift sufficient tempo for him to make a return this week.

Since Embiid went down, the Sixers have gone simply 11-18, and whereas solely 2.5 video games separate them and the No. 6 Indiana Pacers, until they shut that hole, it seems that the highway to the postseason for Philly must begin with the Play-In Event. But when Embiid returns wholesome, nobody will wish to face a Sixers group at full power. Previous to Embiid’s damage, the Sixers had the third-best web score within the league, and Embiid was effectively on his strategy to win the MVP for the second straight 12 months. 

Embiid — who has performed in 35 video games thus far — will not be eligible for MVP or All-NBA honors this season due to the NBA’s new 65-game minimal rule, however he nonetheless leads the league in scoring at 35.3 factors per sport, whereas additionally averaging 11.3 rebounds and a profession excessive 5.7 assists. The mix of him and Tyrese Maxey was among the many greatest within the league, and it appeared just like the Sixers had been primed for a postseason run.

Now that Embiid is returning with lower than two weeks left of the common season, the Sixers may as soon as once more be thought-about a harmful menace within the Jap Convention, even when they will not have home-court benefit. If the Sixers make it out of the Play-In Event, they’d at present be slated to face both the top-seeded Boston Celtics or the No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks.

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