Doc Rivers Offers Injury Update on Joel Embiid Following Game 1 vs. Miami Heat

When the Philadelphia 76ers entered their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs on Monday night, they fired up the series

When the Philadelphia 76ers entered their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs on Monday night, they fired up the series without their most important player on the floor.

MVP finalist Joel Embiid has made it clear that he will battle through setbacks this postseason after the big man suffered a torn ligament in his thumb during Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors in the first round.

Unfortunately, Embiid's now battling more than a torn ligament and had no choice but to miss time at this point. Amid a blowout during Game 6 in Toronto, Embiid was elbowed in the face.

The following night, Embiid was diagnosed with an orbital fracture and a mild concussion. Therefore, Embiid missed the trip to Miami on Sunday night and was ruled out for Philadelphia's Game 1 matchup against the Heat.

Without Embiid, the Sixers utilized several centers in Miami. DeAndre Jordan got the start while Paul Millsap and Paul Reed shared some minutes off the bench. Once the game approached garbage time, the rookie Charles Bassey also got some action.

Embiid's absence was evident on Monday as the Sixers suffered a significant loss to open the series, going down 0-1 to start the second round. And the big man is on pace to miss Game 2, too, as he remains in Philadelphia.

While Embiid currently isn't with the team in South Beach, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers offered a positive update on the five-time All-Star as the team prepares for Game 2, which is set to take place on Wednesday.

According to Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that Embiid is “feeling a lot better” at this point. He added that the veteran standout was able to get some work in on Monday as he goes through the concussion protocol and recovers.

Doc Rivers says he knows Joel Embiid was able to do a little bit yesterday and that he’s feeling a lot better, but also cautioned that he doesn’t want to give false hope for where he’s at in the return process

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 3, 2022

While Rivers’ update seems optimistic, the head coach is proceeding with caution. Despite holding out hope for an Embiid return in the near future, Rivers made it clear he doesn’t want to give “false hope” for Embiid’s return.

Over the weekend, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Embiid could potentially return in Game 3 or 4 when the Sixers get back to Philadelphia. However, the Sixers can’t guarantee his return at this time. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.