The Philadelphia 76ers have shared an update regarding the status of Joel Embiid for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Miami Heat.
Embiid has not played in the series due to a concussion and orbital fracture he suffered in the Game 6 series-clinching win over Toronto last week.
Philly lost the first two games of the series in Miami. But Game 3 is scheduled for Friday in Philly, and the team is hoping to have Embiid available.
For now, Philly has listed Embiid as out for the game. However, several reporters say the Sixers hope Embiid’s status will change.
Joel Embiid will be listed as OUT as of the 5 pm reporting deadline tonight, I’m told. He is still in the process of being cleared — don’t think it means he’s definitively out for Game 3, but where things stand in return to play steps right now
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 5, 2022
The Sixers are currently listing Joel Embiid as out for Game 3, but there’s still progress that could be made to change his availability vs. Heat on Friday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 5, 2022
NBC Philadelphia’s John Clark says Embiid really wants to play.
Joel Embiid is being listed as out for Game 3 before NBA reporting deadline today. Sixers had to report his current status as of now.
Sources tell me he is still making progress and there is hope that he will get cleared to play in Game 3. Joel really, really wants to play pic.twitter.com/BteH4OyEBn
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 5, 2022
Embiid is a gamer and wants to do everything possible to help his team. There’s no doubt about that. But he has to pass concussion protocol in order to be cleared.
Game 3 is pivotal, because if Embiid able to return and lead his team to a win, the Sixers would be back in the series. But if he’s out and the team loses, they’ll be down 3-0 and likely eliminated.
