Joel Embiid Discusses Status of His Knee Following Tight Win vs. Pistons
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Many questioned whether Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid should play in Thursday night's game against the Detroit Pistons or not. As the big man has been dealing with a notable knee injury, which occurred last Wednesday, he admittedly hasn't been one-hundred percent.
After last week's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Embiid was questionable leading up to the Brooklyn Nets matchup. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the star center "couldn't walk" for two days due to knee soreness.
Embiid appeared in the Nets matchup anyway. And when Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder came about, Embiid once again pushed through the pain and played. For the most part, he looked good in those two outings, but not so much against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Clearly, New York's physicality got the best of Embiid. It also didn't help that one anonymous NBA personnel person noted that Embiid looked like he was dragging his knee a bit. Regardless of how he looked or felt, Embiid mentioned that his setback isn't an excuse for his struggles after the game.
"It's not an excuse, but I don't think I've played like this to start the season or any stretch in my career, so it's not an excuse," Embiid said following Tuesday's loss to the Knicks. "I'm gonna keep pushing and hope for the best."
Embiid was questionable once again for Thursday's matchup against Detroit. Considering the Pistons didn't have a win coming into the night, many expected Embiid to take the game off. However, the 76ers didn't hold him back.
Despite how he looked on Tuesday, Embiid checked in for 30 minutes on Thursday. He went 8-19 from the field and drained 13 of his 15 free throws. Embiid finished the night with his season-high of 30 points. After the game, as he approached the podium with his knee wrapped up, the star center once again downplayed the pain.
"Like I always say, there are no excuses," Embiid said. "I'm fine, I can't complain, I am doing what I love, and every single day I wake up, and that's what I want to do, and that's what I want to keep focusing on and whatever happens, happens but I am fine."
The Sixers return to the court for a game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Embiid's status at the moment is unclear. Judging based on how everything's gone so far this season, he'll likely be a game-time decision once again.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.