The Philadelphia 76ers have been dealt a major blow as star center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of Game 4 against the Washington Wizards due to a knee sprain. Embiid, who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, suffered the injury during Game 3 and had to be helped off the court.
The injury comes at a critical time for the 76ers, who are currently leading the series 2-1 and are looking to close it out in Game 4. Embiid has been a major factor in the team’s success this season, averaging 28.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. His absence will be a huge loss for the team, as they will now have to rely on other players to step up and fill the void.
The 76ers have already announced that Tobias Harris will start in Embiid’s place and will be joined by Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Dwight Howard in the starting lineup. While Harris is a capable scorer, he does not provide the same level of rim protection that Embiid does. This could be a major issue for the 76ers, as the Wizards have been able to exploit their lack of size in the paint in the first three games of the series.
It is unclear how long Embiid will be out for, but it is likely that he will miss at least a few games. The 76ers will need to find a way to win without him if they are to advance to the next round of the playoffs. It will be a difficult task, but if they can get contributions from their other players, they should be able to get the job done.
In the meantime, all eyes will be on Embiid as he recovers from his injury. The 76ers will need him at full strength if they are to make a deep run in the playoffs. For now, they will have to make do without him and hope that his absence does not prove too costly.
