Aftermath of injuring left knee in Golden State Warriors loss

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will undergo an MRI on his left knee after injuring it in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Kendra Andrews reports for ABC.

The injury occurred with 4:04 left in the game as Embiid was double-teamed by the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green. After Kuminga poked the ball away from him, Embiid fell to the ground to retrieve it, and Kuminga subsequently fell on top of his knee.

Embiid grabbed the knee and was in visible pain. He ultimately got up, limped to the locker room, and did not return to the game.

Embiid had missed the Sixers’ previous two games because of knee soreness in that same knee. He was listed as questionable heading into Tuesday’s contest, with his final status decided after he warmed up.

“Medical cleared him, and Joel is a big part in that. He said he was feeling good,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.

The nurse explained that Tuesday’s injury is “kind of unrelated to what’s been bothering” Embiid, adding, “We just have to wait.”

Even though Embiid said he felt well enough to compete against the Warriors, he didn’t appear to be playing at 100 percent. Throughout the game, there was little to no lift for Embiid when he defended the basket, making him far less of a rim protector. During one play, Embiid offered a late challenge at the basket, but his legs buckled beneath him with no contact, and he fell to the floor.

On offense, Embiid didn’t attack the hoop much, settling for 3-pointers and mid-range shots. When he did try to work his way to the basket, he didn’t look as explosive; instead, he attempted to back his defender down slowly and methodically.

“He said he’s more rusty — he hadn’t been on the court in five days — but he said he felt good,” Nurse said. “He felt like he wasn’t playing like his normal self, but that was more rust and rhythm than anything else.”

Embiid finished with 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and a team-low minus-21 net rating.

Embiid missed three games earlier in January due to left knee swelling. ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne reported that the injury is something Embiid and Philadelphia will have to manage for the remainder of the season.

Embiid can miss only five more games before becoming ineligible for postseason awards, including All-NBA team honors and MVP. The league’s new rule requires a minimum of 65 games to qualify.

After Tuesday’s loss, Nurse was asked if that rule influenced the decision to let Embiid play.

“I can’t speak to that, but we are going to continue to do all of the necessary things they’ve been doing the whole time he’s been playing here,” Nurse said. “He has these checks, he gets to these points, medicals are good, they recheck him, he says he’s good, he even said he felt good in the game tonight. We keep relaying to that.”

The 76ers have one day off before facing the Utah Jazz on Thursday in Salt Lak.