76ers Will Miss Joel Embiid for Game 4 vs. Nets

Joel Embiid is not expected to play for the 76ers in their Game 4 matchup against the Nets.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be without their star center Joel Embiid on Saturday afternoon, as he's been officially listed as out on the injury report. 

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid suffered a knee injury during the Sixers’ Game 3 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

Per Wojnarowski, Embiid was diagnosed with a “sprained right knee.” While there isn’t a timetable set for the All-Star’s return, Wojnarowski reports that there is “optimism” Embiid could return as early as next week for the Sixers.

Throughout the Game 3 matchup, Embiid was spotted limping and grabbing at his knee at times. After the game, the big man addressed how he was feeling physically. 

“I’m OK,” he said. “Took a lot of shots today, but I’m fine.”

When Doc Rivers addressed the media on Friday afternoon prior to a film session, he discussed how Embiid was feeling physically after a chippy matchup. 

“I don’t think he’s feeling good. He’s on the floor as much as the floor," said Rivers. "Every time I looked, he was getting up. I don’t know how he’s feeling yet. We’ll find that out.” 

While Rivers wasn’t under the assumption that Embiid would miss Game 4 due to an injury, there was talk about him potentially getting suspended for a game as the NBA planned to review his flagrant one foul call during the first quarter of Game 3. In the event Embiid was suspended, Rivers claimed the Sixers were more than prepared. 

“We’re just prepared for it," Rivers explained. "We’ll be ready. We played games without Joel, we played games with Joel. We played games without James and with James… We come to win. Doesn’t matter who’s playing. ... We just have to be ready for whatever. This is part of the journey. You’re on a journey. We can't write the script. The script is being written in real-time. And we have to be able to handle it, and we have to be ready.”

Philadelphia’s Game 4 matchup on Saturday could be the last of the first-round series. With a victory, the Sixers will complete the sweep and book their ticket to the second round of the playoffs, issuing Embiid some extended time to get healthy.

If the Nets find success against an Embiid-less Sixers team and pick up their first win of the series, Brooklyn would force a Game 5. In the event a Game 5 is needed, the Sixers would host the Nets on Monday, April 24. In that case, Embiid’s status would likely be unclear.

The Sixers and the Nets meet for Game 4 at 1 PM on Saturday.