76ers' Joel Embiid out for Game 2 vs. Knicks as Philadelphia looks to even second-round playoff series
Embiid added hip soreness to his right ankle sprain on Wednesday
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has been ruled out for Game 2 of the team's second-round series against the New York Knicks, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. Embiid had been initially listed as probable due to a right ankle sprain, but missed the morning shootaround after reporting increased soreness along with pain in his hip, according to ESPN.
Embiid also recently returned from an emergency appendectomy, which kept him out of the first three games of the 76ers' first-round series against the Boston Celtics, which Philadelphia won in seven games after completing a 3-1 comeback.
In five games this postseason, Embiid is averaging 25.2 points, eight rebounds and 5.8 assists on 42.4% shooting. While he's had a few monster performances, including 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Game 7 against the Celtics on the road, he's also really struggled in a few games, which isn't surprising given his ongoing health problems. In Game 1 against the Knicks, he managed just 14 points and four rebounds on 3 of 11 from the field.
Embiid, who was limited to 38 games this season and has played just 96 regular-season games since his MVP campaign in 2023, has only been 100% healthy once in the playoffs. That was in the bubble in 2020, when the Sixers were swept by the Celtics in the first round. The only other time he appeared in all of the Sixers' playoff games was in 2024, when he played through a torn meniscus and Bell's palsy in their first-round loss to the Knicks.
Now in his eighth postseason appearance, Embiid has missed time in six of those playoff runs, all of which have ended before the Eastern Conference finals.
Joel Embiid playoff injuries
| Season | Injury | Games missed |
|---|---|---|
2026 | Hip and ankle soreness | 1 (so far) |
2026 | Appendectomy | 3 |
2024 | Torn meniscus | 0 |
| 2024 | Bell's palsy | 0 |
2023 | Knee sprain | 2 |
2022 | Orbital fracture and concussion | 2 |
2022 | Torn thumb ligament | 0 |
2021 | Torn meniscus | 1 |
2019 | Knee tendinitis | 1 |
| 2018 | Orbital fracture and concussion | 2 |
Embiid's health has loomed over the Sixers' playoff hopes for years, and this latest setback is likely to put them in a significant hole against a Knicks team that beat them by 39 in Game 1. While the Sixers bounced back from multiple blowout losses against the Celtics in the first round, that is not a sustainable path.
The Knicks have won four games in a row, dating back to their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks, and set an NBA postseason record in their Game 1 victory with their third consecutive win by 25-plus points.
Without Embiid, the Sixers will have to rely heavily on Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and rookie VJ Edgecombe, all of whom have had big moments this postseason. Maxey is averaging 25.1 points and six assists, George has turned back the clock to put up 17.4 points on 56.5% from 3-point range and Edgecombe has contributed 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a game in his first playoff run. They'll now all move up on the scouting report, however, and won't have Embiid's gravity to help them create open looks.
If there's a silver lining for the Sixers, the Knicks won't be able to target a hobbled Embiid, which they did with great success in Game 1 by putting him in pick-and-rolls time and again. The Knicks scored a whopping 1.5 points per possession in pick-and-rolls in Game 1, per Synergy Sports, and shot 63.1% from the field overall and 51.4% from 3-point range.
Still, winning without Embiid will be a major challenge for the Sixers. After all, they were down 3-1 to the Celtics without him, and likely don't win that series if he doesn't come back.
