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Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid Leaves Game vs Pacers

The Philadelphia 76ers lost Joel Embiid on Friday vs. the Pacers.

Justin Grasso

Dec 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) drives for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Dec 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) drives for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Indiana Pacers, the Philadelphia 76ers left Joel Embiid off the injury report. For the second game in a row, Embiid was set to play after he made his return against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

As the second quarter of Friday’s game was winding down, Embiid was hit in the face. The big man was down for a bit before getting helped up. With under one minute left to go in the first half, Embiid exited for the locker room. His return to the court at that point was unclear.

When the Sixers came out for the start of the second half, the team didn’t have Joel Embiid on the court or on the bench. The star center was still getting checked out. The Sixers started Guerschon Yabusele in the big man’s place.

Just a few minutes into the third quarter, the Sixers decided to rule out Embiid for the remainder of the matchup. According to a team official, they noted his setback is due to an “impact to the right side of the face.”

Embiid’s night finished after 17 minutes of action. During that time, he went 4-9 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line to score 12 points. Along with his scoring, Embiid also had four rebounds and five assists.

When the Sixers took on the Bulls last weekend, he was returning from a seven-game absence. The team ruled Embiid out due to knee injury management. According to Nick Nurse, Embiid was dealing with swelling and soreness during that period.

In Chicago, Embiid scored 31 points while coming down with 12 rebounds. The Sixers defeated the Bulls with an eight-point victory. Philly hoped to have Embiid back for the long haul as they worked on securing a third-straight win for the first time this year on Friday, but they have another setback to worry about for the seven-time All-Star.

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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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