The Sixers won the game but there’s little to be happy about as Joel Embiid suffered an injury that could keep him away for quite some time.
It was a victorious night for the Sixers when it comes to the physical win-loss column, but the overall outcome was a fairly disastrous one for the team. Joel Embiid suffered a knee injury halfway through the third quarter, awkwardly landing on his left knee on a dunk attempt.
Nothing is certain when it comes to the injury – all we know at the moment is that Embiid is scheduled to undergo an MRI sometime in the near future, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The best-case scenario is that it’s nothing worse than a hyperextended knee with some bone bruising, but obviously, concern levels are very high at the moment.
Embiid was well on his way to winning his first career MVP award this season, and missing any sort of extended time could thwart such aspirations. Obviously missing the rest of the season in its entirety would absolutely plummet the Sixers’ overall odds in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but let’s all do our best to not speak such a reality into existence.
When it comes to the actual game against the Wizards (yes the Sixers did in fact play a basketball game tonight), the outcome was a favorable one for Philly. Tobias Harris and Seth Curry both poured in 14 points in the starting lineup, while Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton each chipped in 18 points off the bench. Embiid had 23 points and 7 rebounds on 8-11 shooting before his early departure.
The Sixers also did an extremely above-average job defending the likes of Bradley Beal, who was averaging 30+ points per game heading into tonight’s matchup. Primarily guarded by Matisse Thybulle, Beal was held to just 19 points on 8-13 shooting.
Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 25, but he also struggled with his efficiency at times, shooting 10-19 from the field and just 3-7 from the free-throw line.
It’s another win for the Sixers, one that keeps them atop the Eastern Conference for the time being, but obviously, all eyes are on Embiid and his MRI results moving forward. The severity of said injury will determine how the Sixers navigate through the rest of the regular season.
Philadelphia is back in action at 6:30 ET on Sunday against the Spurs, a game in which Ben Simmons is supposed to be active.
