The Philadelphia 76ers came up short in their playoff opener against the New York Knicks, stuttering toward the end after coming back from a double-digit deficit. Now facing an early 0-1 deficit, they will have to work double if they want to steal a game in the Big Apple, as well as the homesourt advantage.
Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid paced Philadelphia as they combined for 62 points. However, scoring from everyone else proved to be too sparse to overcome, while the Knicks’ role players shot the lights out to support their lone active All-Star in Jalen Brunson.
Joel Embiid’s injury status for 76ers vs Knicks Game 2
As of writing, Embiid is listed as questionable for Game 2 due to left knee injury management, which is actually the same tag indexed by the 76ers since the play-in game and their final regular season outings.
Barring any setbacks, Embiid should nevertheless be good to go for Game 2 without a minutes restriction. The reigning MVP played almost 37 minutes on Saturday, although there was some visible bleeding on his knee in their previous game atop him having an injury scare during the second quarter.
Blood on Embiid's sleeve pic.twitter.com/6j4XX7D9c7
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 21, 2024
Nick Nurse offered a less resolute update on Embiid, noting that they will continue to monitor his situation on a game-to-game basis.
"Just like after every game, we’ll assess him and see how he’s doing. Listen, he’s really a warrior and he’s battling, and I think he absolutely wants to play. But let’s see how he turns out here tonight."
Meanwhile, Philadelphia will continue to miss the services of guard De’Anthony Melton (back) and veteran forward Robert Covington (knee).
Hopefully, the 76ers can knot the series up, but more importantly, they return to Philadelphia with Joel Embiid and the rest of the group in tip-top shape, especially since this first-round matchup could be a pretty lengthy one.