Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 20, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Star center Joel Embiid likely will not be on the floor when the Philadelphia 76ers open their Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday against the Boston Celtics, coach Doc Rivers announced Saturday.
Embiid dealt with knee soreness in Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round series versus the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets. He then sat out Game 4, although the third-seeded 76ers were able to complete the sweep of the best-of-seven set with a 96-88 victory on April 22.
Additional tests revealed that the MVP finalist is dealing with a sprained LCL in his right knee.
Rivers didn’t sound overly enthused about the prospect of Embiid playing in the series opener against the second-seeded Celtics when asked about the latest news on his star.
“There is no latest. Obviously, doctors looked at him. He didn’t do anything today,” Rivers said. “I’ll say this; If I was a betting man, I would probably say doubtful for at least Game 1, but we’ll see.”
Embiid averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three games against the Nets. He led the NBA in scoring during the regular season at 33.1 points per game.
Embiid, 29, played in 66 games during the regular season, two shy of his career high set during the 2021-22 season.