PHILADELPHIA — There was a scary moment during the Philadelphia 76ers final preseason game at home against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Their star big man collided with a teammate and was on the floor in pain during the Sixers’ 99-94 win.
Joel Embiid collided with PJ Tucker while playing defense in the second quarter, and both went down in pain. Embiid got up holding his face, which is worrisome considering he suffered a facial fracture and a concussion in the playoffs.
Afterward, Embiid said he was OK, but he’s still working his way back from the original facial injury.
“I’m feeling OK,” said the big fella. “I’m still working my way back. I’ve had an on-and-off summer as far as really being able to do stuff on the basketball court, but I got four or five days to be ready and I’ll be ready.”
The days off Embiid referred to is how many days until the season opener on Oct. 18 against the Boston Celtics on the road. The Sixers are relatively healthy, but the collision of Embiid and Tucker scared coach Doc Rivers a bit.
“I didn’t see it,” Rivers started. “I just saw him and Joel on the floor. That’s never a good sight in a preseason game, but they both seem to be fine, so we’re good there.”
Now that the preseason is over, the focus is on the regular season and getting ready for the real games to begin.
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