Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (21) shoots over Brooklyn Nets’ Nic Claxton (33) during the first half of Game 3 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
CAMDEN. N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers Coach Doc Rivers says NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid is doubtful for Game 1 of the playoff series against the Boston Celtics because of a sprained right knee.
Embiid was examined by doctors this week and has yet to practice ahead of Monday’s Eastern Conference semifinals opener at Boston.
The Sixers have had the longest break of any NBA team after they completed a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets last Saturday. Embiid was hurt in Game 3 and missed the next game.
“If I was a betting man, I would probably say doubtful for at least Game 1, but we’ll see,” Rivers said Saturday at the 76ers’ facility in New Jersey. “He has to get better. He did nothing (today). Just wasn’t able to and obviously we were hopeful for today.”
Embiid averaged 33.1 points this season to win his second straight scoring title. He also 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 second round last year and another in the first round in 2021 because of various injuries, on top of the two he missed to begin the 2018 playoffs because of an orbital fracture and another in 2019 because of a knee problem.
Embiid averaged 36.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games this season against the Celtics.
FRIDAY’S LATE GAME
LAKERS 125, GRIZZLIES 85: Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots in a spectacular defensive performance, D’Angelo Russell scored a career playoff-high 31 points, and Los Angeles completed its first-round upset of Memphis with a victory in Game 6.
LeBron James scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who emphatically clinched a playoff series in their own arena for the first time since 2012.
The Lakers won all three of their home games in the series, and the final victory was a scary demonstration of their capabilities when James and Davis are both healthy. Davis’ imposing defensive presence largely shut down Memphis’ offense in Game 6, while Russell’s five 3-pointers highlighted an impressive offensive effort from a late-blooming team with championship aspirations.
The Lakers took a 20-point lead in the first half and went up by 36 in the third quarter before coasting to victory. James and Davis even got to sit out the entire fourth quarter, preserving their legs for the second round.
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