PHILADELPHIA — It’s as if injures seek out Joel Embiid.
The 76ers big man is one of the league’s most dominant players while healthy. Unfortunately for Embiid and the Sixers, he has a tough time avoiding injuries.
An MRI determined that Embiid has a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. As a result, he will be sidelined Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards at the Wells Fargo Center. He’s listed as day-to-day moving forward.
The Sixers have a three-games-to-one advantage and can close out the series with a victory Wednesday night.
If they succeed, they will face the winner of the New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks series in the second round. The Hawks hold a 3-1 lead going into Wednesday’s Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. The second-round series will begin on Sunday if both first-rounders are clinched in six games or fewer. If not, it will begin on Tuesday.
Embiid exited with what the team labeled right knee soreness late in the first quarter of Monday’s 122-114 Game 4 loss to the Wizards.
Toward the end of the regular season, the 76ers did their best to deliver a healthy and well-conditioned Embiid to the postseason.
