Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid, one of the leading candidates for Most Valuable Player, will be sidelined indefinitely due to a fractured right orbital bone and a mild concussion.
The 76ers open an Eastern Conference semi-final series at Miami on Monday night.
The injuries stem from a hit Embiid took with 3: 58 left of Thursday’s game in Toronto, when the 76ers were up by 29 points and well on their way to getting an East first-round-clinching win over the Raptors.
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He got hit in the face by a driving Pascal Siakam, and immediately took several steps back in obvious pain.
Embiid checked out moments later. Now, nobody knows when he’ll play again.
He sat down for a postgame interview with NBA TV immediately following the game, and one of the first questions he got was about how he was feeling.
“I think he might have broken my face,” Embiid said. “It’s all good. It’s the playoffs.”
Embiid’s diagnosis was spot on.
Barring a significant change, it would appear Embiid won’t be able to start this series – at minimum.
A similar fracture, to his left orbital bone, kept him out for about three weeks late in the 2017-18 season. He needed surgery and missed 10 games, including the first two games of a playoff series against the Heat.
The amount of time he misses now is, obviously, contingent on the severity of whatever is fractured in the bones around Embiid’s eye.
He wore a specially designed mask in 2018 when he returned, even after surgery.
The 76ers did not mention surgery in their statement Friday night, which may indicate one isn’t required this time. And there’s also the issue of getting through the NBA’s concussion protocol, though that may only take a few days.
Embiid led the 76ers with averages of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and assists and 1.5 blocks per game during the regular season.
And even though he’s bothered by a right thumb ligament injury that will require offseason surgery, he also averaged 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in the six games against the Raptors.
He’s one of three finallists for MVP, along with Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.