The Philadelphia 76ers will not have Joel Embiid for some portion of time during their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup with the Miami Heat. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and a concussion during the Sixers’ Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors that clinched their spot in the second round.
Sources: 76ers All-NBA star Joel Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion in series-clinching Game 6 win last night in Toronto. He will be listed as out and there is no timetable for his return.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 30, 2022
The news of the injury and the lack of a timetable was eventually confirmed by the Sixers.
The 76ers say Joel Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion last night against Toronto, and is out indefinitely.
Embiid was hit in the face by an inadvertent Pascal Siakam elbow late in Philadelphia’s blowout win over Toronto in Game 6 last night.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 30, 2022
Siakam caught Embiid with an elbow to the face late in the game when Philadelphia was up by 29 points, which led to Embiid being visibly shaken up. Embiid promptly left the game and did not return, ending his night with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
“I feel awful I hit his face. I was trying to make a move,” Siakam said after the game, per Sportsnet. “Obviously, I apologized to him after that. It was definitely not my intention.”
The Sixers’ series against Miami will begin on Monday, May 2, and the earliest day it could end is Sunday, May 8. It would be an extremely short timetable for Embiid — who is already dealing with a ligament injury in his thumb that will require surgery — to return to the floor. He has played with a mask on in response to a fractured orbital bone in the past, as he needed to wear one during the 2018 postseason.
