Joel Embiid Falls Flat On Torn Meniscus Injury
The partially torn meniscus in his right knee finally caught up with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid on Monday night.
Joel Embiid sustained the injury in the first round against the Washington Wizards. The MVP runner up has been toughing it out against the Atlanta Hawks, but hit a wall in Monday’s loss.
Joel Embiid missed a point blank layup with 8 seconds left with the Philadelphia 76ers down 101-100. The Atlanta Hawks went on to win the game 103 – 100, evening the series up at 2 – 2.
His 0-for-12 attempts in the second half account for the most unsuccessful shots in the past 25 playoff years.
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“Great look. Great look. I just didn’t have the lift,” said Embiid of his chance at the death.
“Thought I got fouled, too. But usually I would go up, especially for a bucket like that, try to dunk it. Try to get fouled and get an and-one. But … not being able to jump for obvious reasons. … It’s tough.”
In the first three games of the series, he averaged 35.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. These kind of playoff numbers have not been seen for the 76ers since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.
On Monday, he couldn’t get any rhythm going as he had to retreat to the locker room in the first half.
“I thought in the beginning of the game, when I went back to the locker room, I just felt like I didn’t have it tonight,” Embiid admitted.
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“He didn’t have his best night offensively, but he had some big defensive plays for us all throughout the game,” said Harris, who led Philadelphia with 20 points. “So, I’m not out there critiquing his movements and how he’s looking off one leg or the other. I’m out there just trying to play basketball.
“I mean, he’s the most dominant player in the game, making shots or not making shots. We know what he brings to this team and I know he’ll bounce back next game.”
