Joel Embiid will have MRI exam on sprained shoulder, say Philadelphia 76ers
Sixers center also fined for making an obscene gesture on court during Monday night win against Hawks
Thursday 27 February 2020 06:26, UK
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who left Wednesday's loss to the host Cleveland Cavaliers with what the team said was a left shoulder sprain, will have an MRI on his shoulder on Thursday.
Coach Brett Brown said after the game that he was unsure whether the three-time All-Star would be available for the Sixers' home game against the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
"I'm really sort of a prisoner to the medical people's information. I haven't checked in. I just left the team. I'm unsure, I really am unsure."
Embiid told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he will have the imaging test on Thursday.
Embiid collided with Cavaliers center Ante Zizic while being fouled late in the first quarter. The seven-footer held his shoulder in obvious pain but stayed in the game and missed both free throws.
The Sixers pulled Embiid at the next time stoppage and he walked to the locker room while rubbing his shoulder. He briefly returned to the bench in the second quarter, but went back for more evaluation and treatment. At half-time, Embiid rejoined his team-mates on the bench with a wrap on his injured shoulder.
The Sixers didn't give any specifics on Embiid other than to say his shoulder was sprained and he would not return.
His injury comes as the Sixers are preparing to play an indefinite period without Simmons, who missed his second straight game because of a nerve impingement in his lower back. The team hasn't given a timeline on when Simmons will be back.
After facing the Cavs and the New York Knicks on Thursday, Philadelphia will begin a four-game road trip in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Sixers have struggled this season away from home, where they are 27-2.
Embiid also received a $25,000 fine from the NBA on Wednesday for making an obscene gesture on the court and using profanity during a live television interview.
With 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter of 129-112 win against Atlanta on Monday, Embiid gave the middle finger to Kevin Huerter after the Hawks guard stole the ball.
Embiid, who finished the game with a career-high 49 points, also used profane language during his on-court interview after the game at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.
The amount of the fine "reflects his multiple prior violations of acceptable on-court decorum," read a press release from the office of Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations.
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