Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee and is expected to miss at least two games as the team explores treatment options, the Philadelphia 76ers announced Thursday.
Embiid suffered the meniscus injury when Jonathan Kuminga landed on his leg during a fight for a loose ball during the fourth quarter of the 76ers’ 119-107 road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The 29-year-old center then underwent an MRI exam and was set to miss the 76ers’ game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday so he could return to Philadelphia for additional testing.
The diagnosis comes during a particularly newsworthy stretch for Embiid, who scored a career-high 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 22 before falling to the court after banging his right knee during a win over the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 25.
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Though Embiid was not listed on Philadelphia’s injury report before a showdown with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, he was a late scratch after going through a pregame workout. The NBA announced Thursday that the 76ers were fined $75,000 for failing to list Embiid on their injury report “in an accurate and timely manner.”
Embiid then sat out Philadelphia’s next game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday with “left knee soreness” before scoring a season-low 14 points and exiting with the left knee injury against the Warriors.
“He obviously got landed on,” 76ers Coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s kind of unrelated to what’s been bothering him. We just wait on that. You guys saw the play. He was laying there and he got landed on.”
While Embiid is on track to win a third consecutive scoring crown, he labored throughout Tuesday’s game, shooting just 5 for 18 while committing eight turnovers.
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“Medical cleared [Embiid to play Tuesday],” Nurse said. “Joel is a big part of that [decision]. He said he was feeling good. He said he was a little rusty and hadn’t been on the court for five days. He said he felt good.”
The 76ers (29-17) suffered their fourth straight loss and slipped to fifth in the Eastern Conference, and their fate has been tied directly to their franchise player’s availability. Embiid has appeared in 34 of 46 games this season: Philadelphia is 26-8 with him in the lineup and 3-9 without him.
If Embiid’s meniscus injury were to sideline him for an extended period, he would lose his eligibility for the MVP award and all-NBA teams. Under guidelines put in place this season, players must appear in at least 65 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. Embiid would be disqualified if he misses four more games after he is expected to miss Thursday’s game against the Jazz and a Saturday game against the Brooklyn Nets.
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Embiid became the first 76ers player to win MVP honors since Allen Iverson in 2001, and he has averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in his back-to-back bid. This year’s leading candidates also include Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 76ers, who have lost in the second round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, are hoping to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.
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