Joel Embiid's Playing Status for Game 1 vs. Miami Heat

With a dominant win against the Toronto Raptors last Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they'll face the Miami Heat.

Amid their first-round series against the Raptors, the Sixers had an injury scare occur to their star big man, Joel Embiid.

Following a tight overtime win in Game 3, Embiid admitted he was dealing with pain in his hand. After receiving an MRI, test results confirmed that Embiid tore a ligament in his thumb. While surgery is required, Embiid planned to put it off until the playoff run ends.

A torn ligament wasn't going to keep Embiid off the court. Unfortunately, two more setbacks will. As the Sixers dominated the Raptors in Game 6, Philly's head coach Doc Rivers wanted to ensure his team kept their lead alive.

Embiid remained on the court for longer than desired, and it came with a price to pay. After taking an elbow to the face, Embiid joked that Raptors big man Pascal Siakam might've broken his face after the game. As it turns out, that was the case.

A Sixers official confirmed that Embiid suffered an orbital fracture the following night. In addition, he suffered a mild concussion as well. When the Sixers initially found out about Embiid's two setbacks, they ruled out the All-Star indefinitely. 

For Saturday and Sunday's practice sessions, Embiid was away from the team. When they traveled to Miami on Sunday afternoon, the big man stayed home.

As expected, Embiid has been ruled out for Game 1 of the second-round series between Miami and Philadelphia. Therefore, the Sixers will roll with numerous replacements. While Sixers head coach Doc Rivers couldn't reveal who would start in Embiid's absence, the team employs several prospects.

There is hope that Embiid can return at some point as the series progresses, but to start the second round, the five-time All-Star will watch from home.

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