The 76ers lost Joel Embiid during their Game 4 loss to the Wizards, and now it looks like he might be out for Game 5 as well.
Embiid exited the game in the first quarter a couple of minutes after taking a hard fall while driving to the basket against Robin Lopez. On Tuesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Embiid is 'doubtful' for Game 5 against the Wizards.
He noted that Embiid underwent an MRI on Tuesday on his right knee and that there will be further evaluation done on Wednesday.
Joel Embiid will be doubful for Game 5, sources tell ESPN. He had an MRI on his right knee today, and is expected to be evaluated further in next day.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2021
Here's a look at the play that left Embiid with "right knee soreness" and rendered him unavailable.
No official word from the Sixers yet on Joel Embiid’s injury, but here’s the fall he took not long before leaving for the locker room.pic.twitter.com/s3NufD3LXs
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) June 1, 2021
Embiid tried to play through the pain and finished the first quarter, but he didn't return afterward. He finished the game with eight points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in just 11 minutes of action.
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After the contest, 76ers coach Doc Rivers declined to give much of an update on Embiid's status. He did, however, confirm that the team would do imaging, including an MRI, on Embiid's injury to determine its severity.
When will Embiid be able to return? That's the big question for Philadelphia. The MVP candidate is the team's most important player, and his teammates, including Danny Green, know it.
"We're going to need him to be the last team standing, to win," Green said, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "It doesn't mean we can't win the next game without him."
If Embiid does miss extended time, backup big Mike Scott would see an increase in playing time. After playing just 11:36 combined in the first three games of the series, Scott saw 16:37 of action after Embiid went down. He and Dwight Howard would be relied upon to help slow down the effective Wizards center rotation of Daniel Gafford and Lopez.
