Washington, Mar 13 (EFE) .- The Philadelphia Sixers, through coach Doc Rivers, confirmed that the starting center, the Cameroonian Joel Embiid, will have to undergo an MRI after injuring his left knee last night, during the game that his team won away 101-127 against the Washington Wizards.
Rivers, who spoke to reporters after his team achieved the fourth consecutive victory and a 26-12 record, the best in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, explained that Embiid suffered a hyperextension of the knee after falling badly after a mate he made in the third period.
Embiid was in the midst of the last dominant performance of his season that has placed him on the list of candidates for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 20 minutes, when he caught a pass from forward Tobias Harris and flew for a dunk, which gave the Sixers an 80-60 run with 6 minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the third period.
But when Embiid fell from the mate, the whole weight of his body was supported on his left leg, which generated strong expressions of pain and having to throw himself on the ground to avoid punishing the injured party with the weight.
After staying on the floor of the court for a few minutes, Embiid finally got to his feet and himself, without help, left the field and went directly to the locker room, albeit with a rather pronounced limp.
Rivers said Embiid was “in a really good mood” after the game. He will undergo the MRI when the team flies back to Philadelphia, where they will have a rest day this Saturday.
Embiid had an equally terrifying situation last month when he hyperextended his right knee in an awkward knockdown against the Portland Trail Blazers after blocking a layup from Turkish Swiss center Enes Kanter.
But in the game against the Trail Blazers, Embiid came back a few minutes later and dominated, scoring 31 points in the first half in a matchup that Philadelphia ultimately lost.
The Sixers got Embiid back on Friday night from the Wizards after he and Australian point guard Ben Simmons missed Thursday’s win in Chicago over the Bulls, as well as Sunday’s All-Star Game, due to contact tracing. from a hairdresser both players visited before heading to Atlanta.
Simmons remained out on Friday but was expected to return, assuming he does not have a positive test for COVID-19 by then, for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Sixers have a game of advantage over the Brooklyn Nets (25-13) in the duel for the leadership of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
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