The Philadelphia 76ers won another victory on Friday, defeating the Washington Wizards on the road for the first time since November 2013, but all of this is secondary at the moment due to the injury of the great star Joel Embiid.
The big guy was in another dominant game, with 23 points and seven rebounds in the third quarter. He just gave another monstrous dunk to the Big Wizards, Moe Wagner, and then he fell awkwardly and lay on the floor writhing in pain while grabbing his left knee.
He then hobbled to the locker room and it was announced that he would have an MRI scan on Saturday, while the team evaluated the options with him.
“He seemed strange to me,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I thought there was a little contact when he went up to bury the ball. I thought he fell out of balance. I will not speculate. Tomorrow, we will know that we will have all the information for you. “
Tobias Harris takes on the de facto leadership mantle when the team is losing its two stars. It didn’t help that Ben Simmons couldn’t play the game in the first place because he was within the league’s health and safety protocols.
“It felt like hyperextension,” said Harris. “This is what we all hope it will be and we are just praying that he will be well and healthy tomorrow when he does an MRI. We know how important Joel is to the team. How much emphasis he put on his health and body this year, so it’s a shame to see that happen. I’m just really praying about it. “
Embiid’s dunk that caused him to fall was so monstrous that some did not even see the fall. Someone just turns around and sees the star player on the floor.
“I didn’t see everything,” said Seth Curry. “I turned and screamed. I turned around and he was on the floor, so I didn’t see anything. “
When a player of this magnitude falls heavily, it can be difficult to continue to focus on the game. Sometimes, the focus of trying to win the game becomes secondary and is all about the injury. However, the result of the game was still balanced. They still need to get the job done.
“Well, you need to,” said Rivers. “I’ve been through this before and you have to win first and then hope for the best afterwards, and I thought our guys did a good job of focusing. I thought it took us a couple [of] minutes to start, but as soon as we did, I thought we had solved the game. “
The Sixers have a day off on Saturday before returning home on Sunday to receive the San Antonio Spurs, where they expect Simmons to return, but may not have Embiid there.
“We hope for the best,” concluded Rivers. “I talked to him. He was in the locker room. He’s in a very good mood, so let’s just hope for the best. “
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on the Facebook!
