Sixers' Joel Embiid Receives Positive News Regarding Knee Injury

Joel Embiid avoids a major injury.

One minute, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was dominating on Friday night against the Washington Wizards. The next minute, he was down on the ground, grabbing at his knee in pain after having an awkward land after a huge dunk.

Philly's medical staff rushed over to Embiid, who stayed down on the ground in pain for a few moments. Eventually, the four-time All-Star could get up and walk off the court and back to the locker room on his own power, but he didn't do it without a noticeable limp.

Knee injuries aren't foreign to Embiid. Early on in his career, the big man has dealt with significant setbacks due to knee injuries. However, he's also just dealt with minor knee injuries as well. Just last month, Embiid hyper-extended his knee against the Portland Trail Blazers and had to leave the game.

The first time he injured his knee this year, Embiid made it back out on the court the same night. On Friday, he remained out. After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers didn't want to speculate on what Embiid was dealing with. However, he did mention Embiid was in good spirits, which is always a good sign.

"You know, I'm hoping for the best," Rivers said after the game. "I did talk to him. He was in the locker room. You know, he's in pretty good spirits. So, let's just hope for the best." The Sixers planned to have Embiid undergo an MRI first thing on Saturday morning after the team returned to Philly from Washington D.C.

Fortunately, the MRI came back clean. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the MRI revealed no structural damage for the big man as he's dealing with a bone bruise. There is no official timeline set for his return, but Shams Charania of The Athletic mentions he's expected to miss two to three weeks.

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