Joel Embiid In A ‘Lose-Lose Situation’ After Game 5 Loss To Heat

Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid

Questions about Joel Embiid‘s return to the game are constantly on fans’ minds whenever he is substituted out.

On Tuesday night at FTX Arena, nothing from that was on anyone’s mind until late in the 4th quarter. With 10:38 left and the Sixers down by 24, Embiid strolled to the end of the Sixers’ bench and sat beside Millsap. His night was over, and the final score of Game 5 was a 35-point defeat. Thursday’s victory is crucial for the Sixers to force a Game seven in Miami.

Can The Sixers Survive Without Joel Embiid?

After sustaining a concussion in the Sixers’ Round 1 Game 6 victory over the Raptors, Joel Embiid wore a protective mask for the third consecutive game. It was reasonable to question the mask’s effectiveness midway through the second quarter.

Embiid got the Sixers within 9 points with two free throws, but then he dropped the rebound and remained on the court with his hands over his face long after Oladipo put back the loose ball. TNT’s replays showed that Dewayne Dedmon may have intentionally put the ball into Embiid’s face mask. A technical foul was slapped on Rivers, but Embiid was allowed to continue his tirade after getting up from the floor.

Embiid stated that he felt something on his face, and I didn’t know what it was. Very unpleasant, but whatever.