NBA ‘Expected’ to Investigate Sixers After Embiid’s Return vs. Thunder

The Philadelphia 76ers could land a fine for the reporting of Joel Embiid's injury leading up to the Oklahoma City Thunder matchup.

Apr 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers were thrilled to get their All-Star center Joel Embiid back in the lineup on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, the sequence of events leading up to the big man’s first game back since late January could land the Sixers in some trouble.

According to NBA on TNT’s Jared Greenberg, the NBA is “expected” to investigate how the Sixers handled the reporting of Embiid’s injury.

While there was major speculation Embiid would return on Tuesday against the Thunder days before the matchup, the Sixers listed the big man as out as early as Monday afternoon.

When the Sixers took the court for a Tuesday morning shootaround, the team confirmed that Embiid was not a participant. At that point, it seemed inevitable that Embiid’s return would get pushed back.

That wouldn’t be the case.

Just a couple of hours before the Sixers and the Thunder tipped off, the Sixers upgraded Embiid to questionable after the 5:30 PM ET injury report was released. At that point, Embiid was going through a pregame workout to help determine his official status.

After going through another quick workout shortly after, Embiid ultimately decided his knee was ready for competition. After undergoing surgery to correct a meniscus injury back in February, Embiid was officially deemed available at 7:00 PM on Tuesday.

As expected, the Sixers had a minutes restriction in place for Embiid. He played in smaller spurts, totaling fewer than 30 minutes on the court. During that time, Embiid attempted 14 shots from the field, knocking down nearly half of them.

From the free throw line, Embiid was a perfect 12-12. He came second in scoring for the Sixers, putting up 24 points. In addition to his scoring, the big man collected six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

The Sixers sealed the deal against the Western Conference’s top-seeded Thunder, winning 109-105.

Tuesday’s results was a solid victory for the Sixers, who advanced to 41-35 on the year, but it could come with a cost due to the way Embiid’s return to action played out.

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