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  4. title => "Joel Embiid sits out Sixers' Game 3 win over Nets, though he says knee injury is getting better 'slowly but surely'"
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  6. article_body => "<p>NEW YORK \u2014 Joel Embiid sat and watched the Sixers\u2019 shootaround Thursday morning in slippers.<\/p>\n<p>About an hour before tip-off, he walked into the locker room, changed into warm-up gear, took questions from a hovering group of reporters as Boban Marjanovic stretched on a yoga mat behind him, then did a light workout on the Barclays Center floor. The whole scene was strange but, given Embiid\u2019s recent history, it wouldn\u2019t have been remotely surprising if it culminated in him playing in Game 3.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Everyone asked about Embiid\u2019s status before and after the game \u2014 from Brett Brown to&nbsp;Marjanovic to Embiid himself \u2014 stuck with the line of him being a \u201cgame-time decision\u201d besides Greg Monroe, the man who stepped into Embiid's spot in the starting lineup in the Sixers\u2019 131-115 win over the Nets&nbsp;<em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/sixers-131-nets-115-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-sixers-impose-will-nets-take-back-home-court\" target=\"_blank\">see observations<\/a><\/em>).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey told me this morning at shootaround that most likely Joel would be out so he was going to start me,\u201d Monroe told reporters. \u201cSo I knew right away in the morning and was able to get mentally focused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Embiid attempted to describe his left knee soreness, which he again classified as \u201ctendinitis.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It\u2019s just about working on your strength and just getting in the practice facility or whatever, basically. Just trying to do whatever you can do to stay strong. At the end of the day, what cures it is just loading. You gotta load in the right way. Can\u2019t do too much and then can\u2019t also sit out and do nothing. It\u2019s hard to manage, but gotta do it. Gotta push through the pain and see where it goes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Though \u201cpushing through the pain\u201d doesn\u2019t sound like an ideal situation for a team\u2019s best player, Embiid said he\u2019s making progress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is becoming better, slowly but surely,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just gotta be smart about how we handle it every single day. I\u2019m sure these guys wouldn\u2019t let me get on the court if there was a chance of something bad happening. Gotta Trust The Process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The confounding part of Embiid\u2019s knee pain, at least as he describes it, is the unpredictability. The fact he had an extra day off before Game 3 didn\u2019t automatically increase the odds of him playing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKind of,\u201d Embiid said of whether the extra day was helpful. \u201cThe body reacts differently every day. I might feel good after the game and then in two days, maybe feel it. So I just gotta manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The one certainty with Embiid is his importance to the Sixers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As Brown said before Game 2, when game planning with Embiid and without Embiid, \u201cThere is night and then there is day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Monroe and Marjanovic combined for 23 points and 21 rebounds in Game 3, but they're&nbsp;likely not a long-term solution if the Sixers aim to win the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe definitely need him,\u201d Jimmy Butler said of Embiid. \u201cWe\u2019re capable of winning some games, but we\u2019d all definitely rather have Jo out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb788a3d5b83?site_id=Web_NBCS_Philly&amp;creative_id=nbcsphi1356&amp;cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&amp;cp_1=washington&amp;cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&amp;cp_3=nbcsphi1356\">Click here<\/a> to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">More on the Sixers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/smirking-ben-simmons-knows-hes-different-class-jared-dudley-and-happy-show-it-sixers-game-3\">Smirking Simmons knows he\u2019s in a different class than Dudley and is happy to show it<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/sixers-131-nets-115-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-sixers-impose-will-nets-take-back-home-court\">Not your \u2018average\u2019 win for brilliant Ben Simmons and the Sixers in Brooklyn <\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/sixers-address-report-brett-brown-has-lost-team\">Sixers address report Brown has 'lost' team<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/sixers-talk-podcast-brett-brown-report-should-players-embrace-being-villains\">Sixers Talk Podcast: Brown report; should players embrace being villains?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/james-ennis-return-brett-brown-shuffle-sixers-rotation-boban-marjanovic-nba-playoffs\">\u2018I can shoot, to be honest\u2019 \u2014 Sharpshooter Boban vital for reshuffled bench<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
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76ers

76ers

NEW YORK — Joel Embiid sat and watched the Sixers’ shootaround Thursday morning in slippers.

About an hour before tip-off, he walked into the locker room, changed into warm-up gear, took questions from a hovering group of reporters as Boban Marjanovic stretched on a yoga mat behind him, then did a light workout on the Barclays Center floor. The whole scene was strange but, given Embiid’s recent history, it wouldn’t have been remotely surprising if it culminated in him playing in Game 3. 

Everyone asked about Embiid’s status before and after the game — from Brett Brown to Marjanovic to Embiid himself — stuck with the line of him being a “game-time decision” besides Greg Monroe, the man who stepped into Embiid's spot in the starting lineup in the Sixers’ 131-115 win over the Nets (see observations). 

“They told me this morning at shootaround that most likely Joel would be out so he was going to start me,” Monroe told reporters. “So I knew right away in the morning and was able to get mentally focused.”

Embiid attempted to describe his left knee soreness, which he again classified as “tendinitis.”

It’s just about working on your strength and just getting in the practice facility or whatever, basically. Just trying to do whatever you can do to stay strong. At the end of the day, what cures it is just loading. You gotta load in the right way. Can’t do too much and then can’t also sit out and do nothing. It’s hard to manage, but gotta do it. Gotta push through the pain and see where it goes. 

 

Though “pushing through the pain” doesn’t sound like an ideal situation for a team’s best player, Embiid said he’s making progress.

“It is becoming better, slowly but surely,” he said. “We just gotta be smart about how we handle it every single day. I’m sure these guys wouldn’t let me get on the court if there was a chance of something bad happening. Gotta Trust The Process.”

The confounding part of Embiid’s knee pain, at least as he describes it, is the unpredictability. The fact he had an extra day off before Game 3 didn’t automatically increase the odds of him playing.

“Kind of,” Embiid said of whether the extra day was helpful. “The body reacts differently every day. I might feel good after the game and then in two days, maybe feel it. So I just gotta manage it.”

The one certainty with Embiid is his importance to the Sixers. 

As Brown said before Game 2, when game planning with Embiid and without Embiid, “There is night and then there is day.”

Monroe and Marjanovic combined for 23 points and 21 rebounds in Game 3, but they're likely not a long-term solution if the Sixers aim to win the Eastern Conference. 

“We definitely need him,” Jimmy Butler said of Embiid. “We’re capable of winning some games, but we’d all definitely rather have Jo out there.”

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