While most of the focus on Joel Embiid’s legs in Game 3 was on who he was kicking and where, he was also obviously in some pain as he tried to play through something that was bothering him.
That turned out to be a sprained knee and it will keep him out of Game 4, reports Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources with @Ramonashelburne: An MRI revealed Sixers star Joel Embiid suffered a sprained right knee and will miss Game 4 vs. Brooklyn on Saturday. There’s optimism he could be ready to return as soon as early next week. pic.twitter.com/Btwm3ls8Vh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 22, 2023
With the 76ers up 3-0 in their first-round series against the Nets, this is a good time to make sure Embiid can get healthy before a likely second-round showdown with the Boston Celtics. Philadelphia should be able to win one of its next two games without Embiid — especially the way Tyrese Maxey played down the stretch of Game 3 — and advance.
Embiid played at an MVP level this season — he is the betting favorite to win the award — averaging a league-leading 33 points per game.
