Joel Embiid returned for the 76ers in a win over the Thunder. Now, they have a huge matchup on deck with the Heat.
PHILADELPHIA — Now that Joel Embiid is back in action after dealing with a left meniscus injury, the Philadelphia 76ers have to get him reacclimated and finish the regular season strong.
The Sixers defeated the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder in a close contest on Tuesday night. In 29 minutes, Embiid notched 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals on 6-14 shooting from the field. His minutes were limited as he played his first game in months. While he clearly wasn’t as mobile as he usually is, he provided good enough minutes to extend Philly’s winning streak to two games.
Now, as the 76ers hit the road for the final time this regular season, Embiid and the team will look to keep the wins coming. Up next is a showdown against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The big man anticipates playing as long as his knee feels fine.
“I think it’s all about how it responds,” Joel Embiid said after the win over the Thunder. “Hopefully, everything goes well. We got another back-to-back coming up that — I mean, according to them, I should never play back-to-backs in my life. But we’ll see if that’s the best decision. We got that coming up so we just gotta take it day-by-day, see how the knee responds tomorrow. We got a big one in Miami. If I’m good to go, I’ll obviously go.”
Embiid said that he wants to take advantage of every opportunity that he can to play but also stressed the importance of maintaining his health.
76ers vs. Heat will have big effects on Eastern Conference standings
The Heat have beaten the 76ers twice this season and hold several tiebreakers that could prove to be the difference in seeding — and, in turn, who would host a potential play-in game between them. Miami has a 1.5-game lead over Philly for the seventh seed.
Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler both have missed the last three matchups between the 76ers and the Heat. Kyle Lowry put up a big performance in their last showdown, saving Philly from losing the four-game season series with a pivotal win. But that’s still a possibility that the Sixers will do their best to avoid when they face Butler, Bam Adebayo and the Heat at the Kaseya Center.
After facing the Heat, the 76ers will see the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. Both teams are missing numerous key players due to injuries and are among the worst in the league. Still, they can’t be taken lightly; Memphis beat Philly not too long ago and Victor Wembanyama is getting better and more dominant each game.
Nick Nurse said that Embiid has worked hard, slimmed down and “done a really good job” keeping his conditioning up. If the big man can play vs. the Heat, it could mean that the reigning MVP is only a step or two away from tip-top shape.
“Normally I would say a couple weeks, week and a half, whatever,” Nurse said of the timeframe for Embiid getting back to full health. “But it wouldn’t surprise me hearing about one more game or two that he’s ready to roll if everything turns out okay tomorrow.”
Source link