Kia MVP Joel Embiid has missed the Sixers’ last 2 playoff games due to a right knee injury.
Kia MVP Joel Embiid returns to start Game 2 of the 76ers’ semifinals playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Philadelphia’s big man scored 15 points in 26 minutes, but the Celtics won 121-87 to tie the series at 1-1.
Embiid was cleared to play after a successful morning shootaround Wednesday and continued workouts after the team arrived at TD Garden in the afternoon.
Five starts tonight:
🔔 @tobias31
🔔 BJ Tucker
🔔 @JoelEmbiid
🔔 @JHarden13
🔔 @TyreseMaxey👕 @alcouniforms pic.twitter.com/MXaoNRMdV5
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 3, 2023
During a morning news conference to discuss winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, Embiid said he wanted to see how his right knee sprained before Wednesday night’s game. He was waiting for the OK from the doctors and team training staff.
Embiid was injured in Game 3 of the 76ers’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets and missed the series-clinching Game 4 victory on April 22. He also sat out the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. The 76ers won 119-115.
Embiid’s return to the team is a welcome one for the Sixers. He was named the Kia MVP on Tuesday and has been a fulcrum for Philadelphia all season.
Embiid, a 29-year-old native of Cameroon, averaged 33.1 points this season to win his second straight scoring title. He averaged 10.2 rebounds and tied a career high with 4.2 assists per game. He played in 66 games, the second-highest total of his career.
Embiid missed two games in the 2022 East semifinals and the first round in 2021 with various injuries, on top of two he missed the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and 2019 with a knee problem.
Averaged 36.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games against the Celtics this season.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.