Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid didn’t have a great go at it in Game 4 of their first-round NBA Playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.
Up 3-0 in the series after Embiid hit a game-winning overtime three in the previous outing, all of the focus heading into Saturday’s game was the thumb injury Embiid has been dealing with.
With that as a backdrop, Embiid scored just 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting as Toronto extended the series to Game 5 in Philadelphia on Monday.
One day after Phladelphia lost by the score of 110-102, an MRI confirmed that Embiid has a torn ligament in his thumb and will undergo surgery once the 76ers’ season comes to an end.
“[The MRI] just confirmed what we thought,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said, via ESPN. “But nothing changes.
Related: 2022 NBA Playoff and championship predictions
Impact of Joel Embiid injury on Philadelphia 76ers
Despite losing on Saturday, Philadelphia is in a great position to advance to the conference semifinals. His injury likely won’t have an impact on this series.
With that said, the 76ers are facing a likely Round 2 matchup against the Miami Heat. Given what we’ve seen from an injured Embiid in the first round, it could have a real impact.
- Joel Embiid stats (Round 1): 26.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 49% shooting
These numbers are down somewhat from Embiid’s regular season when he led the NBA in scoring at 30.6 points per game while averaging 4.2 assists.
With Miami up 2-1 in its first-round series against Atlanta, there’s a good chance that Embiid will be going up against stud center Bam Adebayo. It’s clear he’s not 100%, and it could end up having an impact on Philadelphia’s championship aspirations.