Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid will miss Game 5 against the Washington Wizards because of a knee injury, the team announced Wednesday. An MRI revealed a small lateral meniscus tear in Embiid’s right knee and he will be day-to-day going forward.
Embiid is not scheduled to have surgery, and the Sixers will treat his injury with physical therapy.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 2, 2021
The Sixers lead the Wizards 3-1 in the first-round Eastern Conference series.
Losing Embiid for a prolonged length of time would be a critical blow for the Sixers as they chase their first NBA championship since 1983. The Sixers finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and Embiid was named a finalist for MVP.
Embiid wound up on the floor behind the baseline after having his shot blocked by Washington’s Robin Lopez on a drive to the basket in the first quarter.
After staying down for a moment, a wincing Embiid rose and then put his hand on his lower right back.
He remained in the game for the time being, before eventually heading to the locker room in the last minute of the period.
Through the first three games of the series, Embiid had been nearly unstoppable, averaging 29.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals while shooting 67.4% overall and 54.5% from 3-point range.
Through the series’ four games, the 76ers have been outscored by 17 points over the 97 total minutes Embiid did not play.
The winner of the Sixers-Wizards series will play the winner of the Knicks-Hawks series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.