While Joel Embiid did not cause a new injury to the ankle of New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, his dangerous decision to grab his leg while in mid-air may have added to a worsening issue.
On Thursday night, the Knicks and 76ers went toe-to-toe in a very physical Game 3 in their best-of-seven series. When the dust settled, Philly was able to score their first win of the 2024 NBA Playoffs with a 115-104 victory. However, there was some added insult to injury for New York as center Mitchell Robinson developed an ankle issue that left him unable to play in the second half.
Related: New York Knicks game today – Watch times and channel for Game 4 versus Philadelphia 76ers
The issue with his ankle developed not long after a dustup in the first quarter, when after being knocked to the ground while fighting for a rebound, Embiid shockingly grabbed Robinson’s leg while he jumped for a putback score. Robinson fell to the floor and was moving gingerly on his ankle after standing up. Nine minutes later he left the game and never returned.
Following their loss to the 76ers, Knicks players blasted Embiid for a play that earned him a Flagrant 1 and a large amount of criticism from around the league. “We expect physicality. I think the grab that he did on Mitch was dirty,” Donte DiVincenzo said.
“Mitch is what, 280?. You grab the guy by the leg when he’s jumping and you don’t allow him to come down, that’s something that — just a sprained ankle would be a fortunate injury. That one was reckless,” teammate Josh Hart added.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was battling ankle issues before Game 3
On Friday morning, SNY New York Knicks insider Ian Begley revealed that Robinson’s injury was a problem he was actually dealing with before Game 3.
“His ankle was less than 100 percent healthy going into Game 3,” Begley wrote. “He’d been listed as questionable going into that game due to left ankle injury maintenance. Robinson tested the ankle at shootaround Thursday morning and was cleared to play. It’s the same ankle that he needed surgery on earlier this season, sidelining him for more than four months.”
While Joel Embiid did not reinjure his surgically repaired ankle, he certainly worsened an ongoing issue. It is unclear if Robinson will be able to suit up for the New York Knicks in Game 4 on Sunday, however, teammates claimed he was “doing well” and did not seem to be in a negative mind frame following Game 3.