PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid left Philadelphia 76ers“plays against Indiana Pacers shortly before halftime on Friday night after being hit in the face while looking to get back on defense.
Embiid struggled against Indiana Benedict Mathurin when he caught a stray forearm and an elbow to the face. Embiid fell to the court as the game continued to climb, but he remained near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.
The team ruled him out early in the second half due to “a blow to the right side of his face” around his cheek and nose. There was no immediate word on the severity of Embiid’s injuries, and he left the Wells Fargo Center for evaluation.
“He’s being tested on that,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.
Embiid had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 1/2 minutes in a 121-107 loss to Philadelphia.
Embiid played in just six of Philadelphia’s 23 games. He was bothered by swelling in his left knee and also served a three-game suspension for a physical incident with a reporter.
Embiid, Tires Maxey AND Paul George – referred to as Philadelphia’s “Big Three” after George’s arrival in the offseason – have played parts of just three games together. The Sixers are 7-16 on the season.
“You just have to keep going and practice when we practice again and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points. “What sucks about all this is that we were headed in the right direction. The guys thought about their roles, what the coach expected of them and they played the right way. We know how to play with Joel – and now we may have to change our approach, I think back to playing without him. Life is different.
Embiid also suffered multiple facial injuries, including a fractured orbital bone from the collision Pascal Siakam during the 2022 playoffs against Raptorsand one in 2018 after a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz. Last year, Embiid revealed that he lost in the first round of the playoffs to New York that he suffers from Bell’s palsy.
Embiid told ESPN after Sunday’s win in Chicago, he said his left knee problems this season have been “disheartening” because the swelling was not related to the injury. This was Philadelphia’s last game before Friday.
“He’s been in really good shape all week and he’s been practicing all week,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid’s state of mind. “We did a lot of things to keep up with him. But I can imagine that he may feel like there are dark clouds surrounding him. He just keeps bumping into something, really, unfortunately.”
