Joel Embiid to undergo surgery on injured finger, Philadelphia 76ers confirm
Friday 10 January 2020 06:46, UK
Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has a torn ligament in the fourth metacarpal in his left hand and will undergo surgery on Friday, the team announced prior to Thursday night's game against the Boston Celtics.
The club said Embiid will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks. Embiid will have additional consultations with doctors to figure out the rehab steps.
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown looked at the situation as being one of those you cannot control.
"We have been a through a lot. Things like this, you just move on," Brown told reporters prior to Thursday's game. "I try to look at the thing and think 'what is best for him and his future?' ... So he is injured and we move on."
Brown said the line-up will be adjusted and veteran big man Al Horford will see plenty of time at center. He also said this is not a time for anyone to feel sorry about what transpired.
"Nobody's crying," Brown said. "This is not a woe-is-me moment for our players."
Embiid was injured during the first quarter of the Sixers' Monday night victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. At one point, his finger was pointing in a grotesque direction, but he later returned to the game with the finger taped to the next digit and played 32 minutes.
Embiid had already been ruled out for the game against Boston prior to Thursday's diagnosis. The 76ers won the game 109-98.
He said the injury hampered him against the Thunder, but he wanted to help his team snap a four-game losing streak.
"It was pretty bad," Embiid said of the pain. "I basically could only play with one hand. It was really bad. But in the midst of the losing streak, I just wanted to make sure that I do everything possible to get us a win, and I was glad to get us a win."
In 31 games, he is averaging 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game.
