The Philadelphia 76ers may need to prepare for another stretch of games without star center Joel Embiid.
The 2022-23 MVP exited in the first half of Philadelphia’s eventual loss to the Indiana Pacers after being hit in the face, and the team later announced Embiid suffered a sinus fracture. He will be re-evaluated this weekend.
Embiid was hit by an errant elbow from Pacers forward Bennedict Mathurin as Mathurin leaped for an offensive rebound. Embiid fell to the floor and remained down as play continued, and was later ruled out for the game with “impact to the right side of the face.”
Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture in tonight’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. He will be further evaluated this weekend
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) December 14, 2024
“He’s still getting tested,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after the game, later saying he didn’t know if Embiid had received X-rays.
In his 17 minutes before exiting, Embiid scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds with five assists. The Pacers went on to win 121-107, dropping the Sixers’ record to 7-16.
Embiid has suffered facial injuries in the past, previously fracturing his orbital bone most recently in the 2022 playoffs and first in 2018. Earlier in 2024, he dealt with Bell’s palsy during the Sixers’ first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
After an encouraging recent stretch of play, Friday’s loss leaves Philadelphia in 12th place in the East, sandwiched between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets. Friday marked just the sixth contest the 76ers have had Embiid in the lineup, as the 30-year-old has missed time due to knee swelling, suspension and knee management.
“You just have to move on and practice when we practice again and have a next man up mentality,” said 76ers’ leading scorer Tyrese Maxey after Friday’s loss. “What sucks about this is that we were moving in the right direction. Guys were figuring out roles, what coach wants from them and playing the right way. We know how to play with Joel — and now, we may have to revert our minds back to playing without him. That’s OK. It’s different. That’s how life is.”
Including Friday’s loss, the 76ers are now 1-5 in games Embiid plays.
Philadelphia next plays Monday against the Hornets before a stretch of off days leading into another matchup with the Hornets in Charlotte next Friday.
Sixers just can’t catch a break
A brutal start to the 2024-25 season just gets worse for the 76ers’ franchise player. His latest injury likely stalls Philly’s uptick over the last week and a half — the 76ers had won four of their last five games going into Friday. And Embiid had just gotten back onto the court; he’d returned to action last Sunday in the Sixers’ win over the Chicago Bulls after missing the previous seven games, and had had his best night this season: 31 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Philly had been playing veteran Andre Drummond alongside Guerschon Yabusele up front in Embiid’s absence, to some good effect. But there’s no replacing the former NBA Most Valuable Player if he’s again out for an extended period of time. — David Aldridge, senior columnist
Required reading
(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
