yahoo - 5/7/2026 11:02:34 PM - GMT (+2 )
Joel Embiid is day-to-day. Again. And nobody knows when, or even if, he will play again.
The Philadelphia 76ers are staring at a 2-0 series hole against the New York Knicks after Embiid sat out Wednesday’s Game 2 with a sprained right ankle and right hip soreness. ESPN reported on Thursday that he is day-to-day with no guarantee he plays Friday.
The 108-102 loss Wednesday night puts the 76ers’ season on the brink heading into Friday’s Game 3 at Xfinity Mobil Arena.
Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid woke up Wednesday with significant soreness before the shootaround. He received treatment and was ruled out by the Sixers' medical staff.
“He really wants to be out there,” Nurse said. “Coming back from that appendectomy so quickly was not easy for him to do. He worked extremely hard. I just know from his reaction – he was genuinely sad.”
The latest setback adds another chapter to a brutal postseason for the oft-injured star.
Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy on April 9 and missed the first three games of the first-round series against Boston. He came back and was dominant, averaging 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in four games as the Sixers rallied from 3-1 down to beat the Celtics in seven games.
In Game 1 against the Knicks, Mikal Bridges ran into Embiid's midsection on a screen. There is speculation the collision aggravated the hip, but Embiid would not call it a dirty hit and said he needed to do a better job of protecting himself.
Embiid played just 38 regular-season games this year, the third consecutive season he hasn’t cracked 40. Since his MVP season in 2022-23, he has appeared in just 96 regular-season games and has missed time in six of his eight playoff runs. He started his career by missing two full seasons with a foot injury and has missed more than 130 additional games since.
This season alone, Embiid dealt with a strained right oblique, a right shin stress reaction and ongoing management of both knees. That was all before the appendectomy. The Sixers rarely played him in back-to-back games all year in an effort to keep him available for the playoffs.
Without Embiid Wednesday, the Sixers competed but could not close, committing 18 turnovers in the loss. Tyrese Maxey had 26 points. The Knicks got 26 from Jalen Brunson and 24 from OG Anunoby, who left late with an undisclosed injury.
The Sixers are now two losses from elimination with Game 3 Friday at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will Joel Embiid play? His Game 3 status is uncertain
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