PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture in the 76ers’ 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. This was the latest setback of the season for the All-Star big man.
Embiid was battling for a defensive rebound with Indiana’s Benedict Mathurin late in the first half when he missed a forearm and was hit in the face with an elbow. As play continued on the floor, he slumped onto the court, clutching his face and sat near Philadelphia’s bench.
The team ruled him out early in the second half due to an “impact to the right side of the face” in the cheek and nose area.
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Manager Nick Nurse did not have an update on Embiid’s condition after the game, saying only that he was still undergoing tests. The team later announced that he suffered a sinus fracture and would be re-examined this weekend.
Embiid had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 1/2 minutes in the loss to the 76ers, and will play in their next game against Charlotte on Monday.
Embiid has appeared in just six of Philadelphia’s 23 games. He has been suffering from swelling in his left knee and was suspended for three games for assaulting a reporter.
Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George — billed as Philadelphia’s “Big Three” after George’s offseason arrival — played together in just three games. The Sixers have 7 wins and 16 losses this season.
“When we practice again, we’ve got to move on and practice and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points. “The disappointing thing is that we were going in the right direction. The players understood their roles, they knew what the coach wanted from them and they were playing the right way. We were going in the right direction with Joel. He knows how to play – and now we may have to go back to that.”It’s fine to go back to playing without him, that’s the way life is. ”
Embiid has suffered numerous facial injuries, including suffering a fractured orbital socket in a collision with Pascal Siakam during a playoff game against the Raptors in 2022, and an injury sustained in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz in 2018. He is injured. Last year, Embiid revealed during the team’s first-round playoff loss to New York that he suffers from Bell’s palsy.
After Sunday’s win at Chicago, Embiid told ESPN that his left knee issue this season was “depressing” due to swelling that was unrelated to the injury. That was Philadelphia’s last game until Friday.
Asked about Embiid’s state of mind, Nurse said, “He’s been in great shape this past week, he’s been practicing all week.” “We’ve done a lot to get along with him, but I can imagine he might feel like there’s a little bit of a dark cloud hanging over him. It’s really unfortunate that he might have been involved in something. I keep encountering it.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
