Joel Embiid returned to action for the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night and helped his team defeat the Miami Heat, but it has come at a cost for the Eastern Conference franchise
01:00, 07 Apr 2024
Joel Embiid's return to the court has given the Philadelphia 76ers a much-needed boost in their hopes of making the NBA play-offs automatically, but it hasn't come without a price.
The 29 year old NBA star was sidelined for over eight weeks following a procedure on his left knee, but made a triumphant return to help his team secure a victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder as they look to avoid the Play-In tournament,
However, ESPN has reported that the Eastern Conference franchise is set to be slapped with a hefty $100,000 fine on Friday for breaching the league's rules on injury reporting.
The reigning NBA MVP was listed as unavailable for the match against the Heat for 24 hours, only for his status to be abruptly upgraded to questionable. This happened when Sixers coach Nick Nurse spoke to the press at 5.45 p.m., hours before the game was scheduled to tip off.
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According to NBA regulations, teams are required to provide an update on the status of a player who might be affected by an injury by 5 p. m, local time the day prior to a game, unless they have back-to-back games.
Just over an hour later after Nurse's address, Embiid was declared fit to play and was included in the starting lineup, where he went on to score 24 points and record seven assists and six rebounds. In discussing the 76ers' penalty, the league stated that the team's history of flouting injury reporting rules was taken into consideration.
In 2022, they were slapped with a $50,000 fine when Embiid made a similar return to the team against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Despite the hefty fine, it seems a cost the Sixers are prepared to bear as Embiid not only helped them overcome the Thunder, but he also racked up 29 points that drove his team to a 109-105 victory over the Heat on Friday.
The Sixers have slipped from a spot within the top three to languishing in eighth place in the absence of Embiid, scrapping for the last automatic playoff position.
However wins in their last three games means they are just a game behind seventh-placed Heat and 2.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers in sixth.
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ESPN reports that it's unlikely Embiid will play both back-to-back games against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. He is expected to be given one half of those games and if he comes through unscathed, the centre should play the final three regular-season games against the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets.
"This one took a toll mentally, being depressed ... It was not a good one," Embiid shared with the press regarding his injury recovery. "So, still not where I'm supposed to be, especially mentally, but I just love to play and love basketball and I want to play and any chance that I can be out there, I'm going to take it."
"For some reason, this injury was just ... It was disappointing. It was depressing. It took me a while to get over it, and I still haven't gotten over it. So just got to take it day by day, look at the positive. I'm back. So, hopefully every single day, try to get better and get back to myself."