Why is Joel Embiid not playing against the Boston Celtics today, Feb. 27? When will he be back?
The Philadelphia 76ers have a spotlight showdown with the Boston Celtics tonight, and the sinking Sixers will be without their big man, Joel Embiid, again.
Tonight at the TD Garden, the Philadelphia 76ers and the league-leading Boston Celtics will play in primetime. With Joel Embiid out as he continues to treat his damaged knee, Philadelphia has been losing ground in the standings over the past few weeks, and it looks as though their misery may never stop.
The wait goes on.
The MVP of the league for the previous season was already sidelined before the Sixers game against Golden State on February 6. He played with all of his might in that game, hoping to help his team stay up with the Celtics while also trying to play the required 65 games to be considered for the MVP award and First-Team All NBA for a second consecutive year.
He participated in the game with a brace on his already injured knee, and when he collided with the deck in an attempt to retrieve a loose ball late in the game, things took a turn for the worst for both him and the Sixers. The Cameroonian center hasn’t played since when Jonathan Kuminga jumped for the loose ball and fell on Embiid’s damaged knee, sending him limping to the locker room.
He underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee, and his initial appointment was for a follow-up evaluation in four weeks. The Sixers have postponed that projection to six to eight weeks, which is concerning news for their playoff situation. That would have been sometime next week.
With 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists this season, Embiid was the league’s top scorer and in the running for a second consecutive MVP title. The Sixers are currently 1.5 games ahead of Orlando in eighth place and closer to the Play-In than they are to the first-place Celtics (12 games ahead of Philly) in the Eastern Conference standings following his injury.
The earliest he may return when the examination is rescheduled is around the middle of March, if he plays again this season. The Sixers will once again be among the most formidable teams if and when it is revealed that their big man can return. in the Eastern region. Is he going to return? is the question. When is that going to happen? After Embiid’s extended absence from the court, where will the Sixers be in the Eastern Conference?
