The injury bug bites again. Will he ever catch a break? In a career that has been plagued by injuries, mostly to his lower extremities, legs and feet, Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture in the second quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ home game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. He will undergo additional test and evaluations over the weekend the team announced
The Pacers went on to win the game, 121-107, but the big topic of conversation after the game was concern about Embiid’s condition and health.
Embiid went down and was injured during Indiana’s final possession of the first half. With just over 18 seconds remaining, Tyrese Haliburton missed a layup and Bennedict Mathurin jumped into the lane to claim an offensive board. As he landed on the court, Mathurin’s left arm struck Embiid on the right side of his face.
The big man fell to the floor as play continued down the court and an athletic trainer quickly emerged from the bench and came out to check on him. He remained on the hardwood lying down, clearly worried about the area surrounding his eye. Embiid has previously sustained orbital bone fractures in both the left and right side of his face during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. He suffered the right-side fracture and a concussion in 2022 after being hit by Pascal Siakam’s elbow when he was a member of the Toronto Raptors.
It goes without saying that Embiid would immediately be concerned by any significant hard impact to that area of his face. Trainer Kevin Johnson also appeared to be looking for any type of eye injury, in addition to signs of a fracture.
The Sixers center did not return after halftime, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes of play. Following the game, Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Embiid was being examined for possible fractures in his facial area.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbiid, who won the MVP award in the 2022-23 season, has played in only six of Philadelphia’s 23 games this season due to left knee management, three-game suspension and personal reasons. His numbers have taken a monumental dip and he is averaging 20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Embiid told ESPN after Sunday’s 108-100 win against the Chicago Bulls that his left knee issues this season were “depressing” because of the swelling not being related to an injury. That was Philadelphia’s last game before Friday.
“He’s been in a really good place all week, and he practiced all week,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid’s state of mind. “We did a lot of stuff to get up to speed with him. But I can imagine that he can feel like the black cloud is over him a little bit. He just keeps running into something, really, unfortunately.”
Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, shooting 3 for 5 from downtown. Paul George added 15 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks as the Sixers dropped to 7-16 for the season. Philadelphia is off until Monday, playing two games in the next seven days because of the Emirates NBA Cup, and updates should be available on Embiid’s status by then.
“You just have to move on and practice when we practice again and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey.
“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.”
Haliburton, who has been struggling all year came out of his slump with a game-high 32 points and 11 assists, followed by Siakam’s 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Obi Toppin contributed 20 points and eight rebounds off the Pacers’ bench. Indiana improved to 11-15 and hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
