WASHINGTON — Joel Embiid and the 76ers are fortunate, because his left knee injury could be much worse.
Embiid’s MRI on Saturday morning revealed that the four-time NBA All-Star has no structural damage to his knee and he is expected to miss at least two weeks with the injury. That’s when he’ll be re-evaluated. As a result, the injury will sideline him for at least eight games.
However, Embiid’s meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament are fine.
He suffered the injury during Friday night’s 127-101 victory over the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena.
He landed awkwardly after dunking the ball with 6 minutes, 27 seconds left in the third quarter. His knee bent back, in the wrong direction, as he hyperextended it.
After falling to the ground, grabbing his left knee while in obvious pain, Embiid was on the court for over a minute as his teammates rushed to his aid. They even requested a stretcher for their fallen comrade. However, he was able to limp off the court, with some assistance, and into the locker room without the stretcher.
Embiid had 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 20 minutes, 24 seconds of action.
It was Embiid’s first game back after missing Sunday’s All-Star Game and Thursday’s 127-105 road victory over the Chicago Bulls while in the NBA’s health and safety protocol. Embiid was forced to self-isolate after coming in contact with a barber who tested positive for COVID-19. Embiid had to quarantine for seven days following the last exposure to the barber.
