Following Thursday night’s 115-106 victory over the Knicks, depending on your perspective, the Sixers got some news on Joel Embiid’s injured left shoulder. It’s good, but only if you believe that a glass could, in fact, be “half full.”
Embiid sustained a left shoulder injury against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night after colliding with Ante Zizic. An x-ray taken after the contest revealed that there was no fracture, which would have obviously been a worst-case scenario.
After being announced as being out of the lineup against the Knicks, some additional news came down surrounding Embiid — after undergoing further evaluation, it has been confirmed that there is no structural damage to his shoulder and that he will be re-evaluated in one week.
The Sixers will begin a four-game road trip on Sunday when they visit all four of the league’s California-based teams, meaning that Embiid will miss at least the first three of those contests. They will square off against the Clippers, Lakers and Kings. The final contest, which will be played on March 7, which feature the club battling the Warriors.
Interestingly enough, Stephen Curry will return to the lineup for Golden State on March 1, so the Sixers will see him when they make their only trip to San Francisco this season.
Joel Embiid’s evaluation confirmed a left shoulder sprain. There’s no structural damage. He will be re-evaluated in 1 week. #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 28, 2020
Embiid will now join Ben Simmons on the shelf, the latter of whom is out indefinitely with a nerve impingement in his back.
With Thursday’s win over the Knicks, the club improved to 37-23 as they prepared for a late-season four-game Western Conference road trip. As the club attempts to hold onto the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference — the Pacers are nipping at their heels — they’ll have to man the fort without their two top guns for the foreseeable future.