PHILADELPHIA — Already without one All-Star, the 76ers held their collective breath as another left Thursday’s game in the first quarter after landing awkwardly on his right knee.
Yet Joel Embiid’s departure was brief before his dominant return. His teammates couldn’t follow his lead.
Embiid scored 37 points, but the Sixers lost, 121-105, to an undermanned Portland Trail Blazers team at the Wells Fargo Center. That snapped a four-game win streak for the Sixers (16-7).
The Blazers (12-9) pulled away with a 40-19 third quarter after the teams were tied 57-57 at halftime.
After blocking a shot from behind by Enes Kanter, Embiid landed awkwardly on his right knee with 5 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
Embiid left for the locker room and he was moving gingerly.
He suffered a hyperextened right knee, but returned to the game with 1:21 left in the first quarter and quickly went to work.
Embiid was carrying the Sixers, having scored their first 15 points of the second quarter, and going back to the first quarter, he had scored 17 in a row before Tobias Harris hit two free throws with 4:45 left in the half.
He ended with 31 points in the first half and the Sixers needed them all. Embiid was 11 for 17 from the field and he hit all nine of his free throws. He was operating so effectively in the post that Embiid didn’t attempt one first-half 3-pointer. He scored 25 of the Sixers’ 29 second-quarter points. That tied the franchise record for points in a quarter set by Andrew Toney, who had 25 on March 21, 1982.
Already the Sixers were without two-time All-Star point guard Ben Simmons, who was out with left calf tightness.
According to coach Doc Rivers, Simmons complained of discomfort after Wednesday’s 118-111 win over the host Charlotte Hornets.
Then again, the Sixers weren’t getting any sympathy from Portland coach Terry Stotts, who was missing six players due to injury, including perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard and fellow guard CJ McCollum, who combine to average 55.8 points.
Lillard missed his first game of the season with an abdominal strain and McCollum was out for his eighth straight game with a left foot fracture.
Portland only had nine available players.
Rivers started Furkan Korkmaz in place of Simmons. Seth Curry moved from shooting guard to point guard. Korkmaz responded by scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
