Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is out indefinitely after suffering a fractured right orbit and a slight concussion in a 6-game victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, the team said on Friday, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Embiid appears to have suffered an injury at the end of the fourth quarter from an unintentional elbow blow by Raptors striker Pascal Siakam and did not return for the rest of Thursday’s race.
Specialists assessed Embiid on Friday and there are no indications that he will need surgery, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburn. However, the 28-year-old will miss at least five days due to the concussion, Shelburn added.
The big All Star player was already playing due to a thumb injury and hoped to postpone any surgery until the off-season. Embiid, this season’s MVP finalist, had a strong first-round run against Toronto. He averaged 26.2 points, 11.3 boards and 2.3 assists in six games.
Philadelphia is relatively thin in the central position. Second-year great Paul Reed is likely to have extended minutes, while veterans DeAndre Jordan and Paul Milsap played a combined one second during the first round.
The 76ers Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat begin Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET in South Beach.
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