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Joel Embiid is sitting out Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls with left knee soreness, and the issue might keep him sidelined for the start of the playoffs.
General manager Elton Brand said Wednesday that “it’s possible” Embiid won’t be ready for the postseason, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, he added that he is “optimistic” the center will play in Game 1 this weekend, per Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philly.
After the Sixers’ game on Wednesday night, though, head coach Brett Brown told reporters the team would be putting out a statement on Embiid soon and declined to answer more questions on the matter.
Embiid’s left knee has been a problem as of late. Soreness forced him to miss five of the last seven games of the regular season.
He also had an eight-game absence in February and March due to his knee and has gotten some additional days off since then.
While his 64 games played in 2018-19 is a career high, it’s likely less than the Sixers hoped for.
The 25-year-old earned his second straight All-Star selection this season while averaging 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. When he’s in the lineup, the 76ers are a threat to win the Eastern Conference.
However, the squad is 7-10 without him this year heading into Wednesday and could struggle in the postseason even with Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris picking up the slack.
Philadelphia will have the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and will face either the Brooklyn Nets or Orlando Magic in the first round.
from Update News Topic http://bit.ly/2IcKCyG
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