Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid was having another really solid game out on the floor as the Sixers were taking on the Utah Jazz at home. The big fella had 11 points in the opening quarter, but he only scored eight the rest of the way in a 116-96 loss to the Jazz at home.
That could be due to the fact that he was dealing with an ailment that caused him to leave the game for a bit.
Embiid left the game in the second half with what the team called right side abdominal pain. He was evaluated in the locker room before being allowed to return to the floor.
“I honestly don’t know, but it was pretty painful,” said Embiid after the loss. “I’m not sure what happened.”
As far as it being something that could affect him long-term, the big fella added that he should be ok.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
Joel Embiid has right side abdominal pain. He was evaluated and he returned to the floor after briefly leaving. #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 10, 2021
Embiid did state that the injury began bothering him in the first quarter. He thought that it was just a cramp initially, but something just didn’t feel right with him.
“In the first quarter and I thought it was a cramp,” he explained. “As the game went on, I started not breathing right so I needed to check it out. Like I said, I think I’ll be fine.”
When he did go back to the locker room to be evaluated, he was not even sure what to even look for. He just knew that he was in pain.
“I’m not sure exactly,” he finished. “It’s somewhere in the rib. I’m not exactly sure what it is.”
Embiid and the Sixers will have one day off before hosting Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. He will have to figure it all out and the Sixers will have to hope that he can be ready to go.
“I have no idea,” said coach Doc Rivers about concern about Embiid’s injury. “I don’t think so, but I don’t even know. I didn’t even know it was abdominal. I thought it was an elbow to the ribs or something.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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