The Philadelphia 76ers got a much-needed win Monday night when they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-113. But the win may have come at a cost.
Sixers star Joel Embiid was forced to leave the game with a dislocated finger. Despite the gruesome appearance of the injury, Embiid returned to the game and produced 18 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists while committing just two turnovers.
Embiid admitted after the game that the injury was causing him quite a bit of pain and was impacting his ability to rebound the ball, but he wanted to be out there to help his teammates as the Sixers tried to snap their losing streak. He also noted that there was a possibility that the injury could keep him out of Thursday’s matchup with the rival Celtics.
Embiid says “it’s a possibility” he misses Thursday against the Celtics, but he really wants to play #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) January 7, 2020
Despite it only being January, Thursday’s contest represents an important game for the Sixers. The team’s recent struggles, combined with other missed opportunities against lesser opponents, have reduced its margin for error. Philadelphia currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, three games behind the Celtics. They would certainly prefer to have their star big man available.
It was good to see Embiid tough it out and return to the game on Monday, and hopefully he will be able to do the same on Thursday. We’ll be keeping an eye on his status over the next few days.