Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid simply can’t catch a break.
Looking to grab a rebound near the end of the first half, the Sixers superstar took an inadvertent forearm to the face from Indiana Pacers forward Bennedict Mathurin. Embiid immediately went to ground clutching his face, and looked a bit dazed as the Sixers medical staff came over to check on him.
Embiid didn’t return for the second half as he underwent testing, getting diagnosed with a sinus fracture that will be re-evaluated this weekend. He finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds, and five assists in 17 minutes. Indiana went on to win the game in comfortable fashion, 121-107.
Joel Embiid has been ruled out with injury vs. Pacers
He will undergo further testing after 'impact to right side of face' pic.twitter.com/K0E7jrYB4F
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2024
“You just have to move on and practice when we practice again and have a next-man-up mentality,” Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey said after the game. “What sucks about this is that we were moving in the right direction. Guys were figuring out roles, what coach wants from them and playing the right way. We know how to play with Joel, and now we may have to revert our minds back to playing without him. That’s OK. It’s different. That’s how life is.”
This is not the first time Embiid has suffered an injury to his face. Back in 2018, he suffered an orbital fracture after colliding with then teammate Markelle Fultz. During the 2022 playoffs, Embiid endured another orbital fracture against the Toronto Raptors after an inadvertent hit on a Pascal Siakam drive. Last year, as Embiid could be observed to seemingly have one side of his face paralyzed during the playoffs against the New York Knicks, he revealed he was suffering from Bell’s palsy — a neurological disorder that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face.
This marks the 3rd facial fracture of Embiid's career. He suffered a left orbital fracture in 2018 & a right orbital fracture in 2022. The 1st injury required surgery & he went on to miss 22 days (10 games). The 2022 injury cost him 2 postseason games over the course of 8 days.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) December 14, 2024
Philadelphia seemed to be turning a corner with four wins in its last five games entering Friday night’s action, but will now have to hope this isn’t something that keeps Embiid out for an extended period and that it can successfully navigate the schedule during his absence.
At 7-16, the Sixers sit two games out of the Play-In tournament, five-and-a-half games out of a guaranteed playoff spot, and seven games behind the Knicks for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
