As another playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics tips off Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, the spotlight is already on the injury reports — and the news is not encouraging for Philadelphia fans hoping for a miracle from their star center.
Former NBA MVP Joel Embiid will be the only Sixers player sidelined for Game 1, according to the team’s initial injury report released Saturday. Embiid, still recovering from emergency appendectomy surgery, remains firmly out of the lineup. Notably, the report does not list rookie Johni Broome, who will be available for the first time since tearing his right meniscus in February.
The absence of Embiid comes as little surprise given the timing. Less than two weeks removed from surgery, the big man is still in the early stages of recovery. Speculating about a potential return at any point this postseason remains, at best, a fool’s errand.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/SixersAdam/status/2045608376768287221
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made the team’s focus crystal clear on Friday, shutting down any talk of Embiid’s timeline.
“You know what? I’m preparing for Sunday’s game, and I know he’s not playing in that one,” Nurse said. “So that’s all — we’re just zeroed in on trying to see, can we go in there and get ready to battle and fight and execute as best we can?”
For a Sixers team already facing the daunting task of opening a playoff series on the road against the Celtics, Embiid’s continued absence is a significant blow. Yet the injury report offers one sliver of positive news: the return of Broome, whose availability adds much-needed depth and athleticism to the frontcourt as the series begins.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/celtics/status/2045594142428844108
As if beating the Celtics were not difficult enough, Boston’s injury report is a beaut — further complicating what already promises to be a physically and emotionally charged opening game.
With Game 1 set to tip off Sunday afternoon, both teams will be forced to adjust on the fly. For Philadelphia, the mission is simple yet monumental: find a way to compete without their franchise centerpiece while integrating a key rookie into the rotation for the first time in months. Whether Embiid can return later in the series remains unknown, but for now, the Sixers must focus solely on the immediate battle in Boston.