Sixers' Joel Embiid Leaves Blazers Matchup Early With Injury

Sixers center Joel Embiid left Thursday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers early as he suffered an apparent knee injury.

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Early on in the first quarter, the big man went up to successfully block a shot on defense before awkwardly landing.

Immediately after landing, Embiid went to the ground for a few seconds. Although he was able to get back up to show up on defense, he wasn't moving around much. Once the game stopped, Embiid remained where he was at on the court while holding his knee for a few moments. 

It was a promising sign when Embiid was able to walk off the floor on his own power. However, the sight of him going straight to the locker room was concerning. The good news is Embiid wasn't in the team's locker room for long.

Just a few minutes after leaving the court, Embiid returned to the Sixers' bench still in his full uniform. The big man went over to the team's resting station to work out his knee/leg with the team's trainers.

Eventually, the three-time All-Star made his way back out onto the court with a little over one minute left to play in the first quarter. His injury was not deemed serious and according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, Embiid hyperextended his knee.

The Sixers had a similar scare during Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets involving the reserve guard, Shake Milton. Early on during the second quarter, Milton hyperextended his knee while driving to the basket. 

Like Embiid, Milton had to go to the locker room to get evaluated for a few minutes. Initially, his injury looked much more serious and had the 76ers worried. But the veteran guard was back on the floor in no time. Fortunately, that was the case with Embiid as well.