Joel Embiid Downplays Scary Moment in Sixers’ Win vs. Magic

Joel Embiid's scary moment in the Philadelphia 76ers' win over the Magic doesn't seem to worry him.

Apr 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) watches a / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Since the return of Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers have gone unbeaten.

Heading into Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic, Embiid was questionable to play. After going through his pregame warmup routine, he received the green light to compete.

In the first half of Friday’s game, Embiid checked in for a little over 17 minutes. He was productive all around, nearly notching a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. As the Sixers were taking care of business through the first two quarters, Embiid had the Sixers holding their breath in the final two minutes of the second quarter.

An awkward landing after an attack to the basket had Embiid grabbing at his knee and showing signs of potentially being in pain. The star center urged the head coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout so he could get off the court.

Embiid shot straight back to the Sixers’ locker room before the half.

“Obviously, they assessed him at halftime,” Nurse said after the game.

Just moments before the third quarter began, Embiid trotted back out on the court to get some shots up. When the game resumed, so did Embiid’s night.

“There was no swelling and no damage. They said he should be okay to try it and he wanted to try it in the second half,” Nurse added.

Embiid collected another 14 minutes in the second half. After tacking on 11 points, four rebounds, and a block on the defensive end, Embiid helped the Sixers secure a much-needed win over Orlando.

And in case anybody remained worried, Embiid addressed his in-game scare after the matchup concluded.

“I’m good,” said the MVP. “You know, we got to fight through it… Just got to fight through it.”

Overall, Embiid scored a game-high 32 points in 31 minutes of action. He also had 13 rebounds, seven assists, and one block. The Sixers will continue to closely monitor Embiid’s knee throughout the rest of the season, but it seems he’ll be find moving forward.