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Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid Exits Game vs. Blazers With Injury

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid exited Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers early with a lower-body injury.

Justin Grasso

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid Exits Game vs. Blazers With Injury
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid Exits Game vs. Blazers With Injury /

Update: Joel Embiid will not return as he's dealing with an ankle injury

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid left Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers early with an apparent lower-body injury. Heading into Sunday's matchup, the Sixers were already shorthanded as the team is missing its other All-Star, Ben Simmons.

After suffering a subluxation in his left kneecap, Simmons decided surgery would be best on Saturday. Therefore, Simmons is out for the remainder of the Sixers' seeding schedule. With Simmons currently out of the picture, more of the responsibility falls on Sixers All-Star center, Joel Embiid.

Unfortunately, Embiid is dealing with a setback of his own. During the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Embiid managed to check into the game for roughly six minutes before being taken out. Although he came out of the game around the time of his usual break, it was clear Embiid was dealing with some sort of injury setback.

After getting another look, it appeared that Embiid might've rolled his ankle after coming down from a block attempt. Embiid remained in the game for a little despite favoring his ankle and moving around slowly with a limp. Once the game stopped, though, the Sixers took Embiid out and brought him back to the locker room.

As the game continues, Embiid's return remains questionable as the team has not yet offered an update on the starting center's status. For the time being, Sixers rookie Norvel Pelle will get minutes at center, while Kyle O'Quinn picks up some playing time as well. 

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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