Following a monumental road performance that saw the Philadelphia 76ers eliminate the Boston Celtics and achieve the team’s inaugural 3-1 playoff series reversal, Joel Embiid urged supporters of the franchise to retain their Eastern Conference semifinals game tickets.
The 76ers’ prominent center sought to avoid a recurrence of the scenario from their first-round playoff encounter against the New York Knicks two seasons prior, where the Knicks triumphed in six contests, and Philadelphia’s former Wells Fargo Center effectively transformed into an annex of New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Irrespective of the home-court advantage the 76ers might possess at the venue now known as Xfinity Mobile Arena this Friday evening, Embiid’s participation before the assembled audience remains uncertain, given his official “questionable” designation for Game 3.
Embiid’s status continues to reflect hip and ankle ailments, which sidelined him from a distressing Game 2 loss in New York, concluding a closely contested match-up at MSG. The 76ers currently face a 2-0 deficit against the Knicks in the series.
To be more precise, the frequently sidelined seven-time All-Star is contending with a right ankle sprain and discomfort in his right hip, according to the 76ers’ preliminary Game 3 injury statement, disclosed on Thursday.
Of note, Knicks forward OG Anunoby has also been listed as questionable. He is recovering from a right leg hamstring strain. Anunoby, recognized as one of the most effective shooters in this postseason, incurred the injury during the final quarter of Game 2.
Knicks wing player Josh Hart is also questionable, specified with a left thumb sprain.
Regarding Embiid, the 32-year-old former NBA MVP made his comeback following an urgent appendectomy, contributing to the 76ers’ remarkable reversal against their adversaries, the Celtics.
Approximately two weeks subsequent to Embiid’s procedure late in the season, he played his initial game in the Celtics series. Appendicitis represented the most recent complication he has encountered in a season, and indeed a career, marked by numerous challenges.
Embiid participated in fewer than 40 regular-season contests for the third consecutive campaign. In March, he was absent for 13 games due to an oblique strain. Additionally, Embiid missed five consecutive games in February because of a tender right knee and a shin ailment.
Having played only 19 games last season due to persistent left-knee problems that eventually necessitated surgery in April 2025, Embiid again faced an extended period on the sidelines early this season, on that occasion owing to a right knee injury.
He endured considerable physical punishment throughout the Celtics series, especially in Game 7 during his 34-point, 12-rebound decisive showing at TD Garden.
Embiid entered Game 1 of the Knicks series with a right hip bruise. He participated, but similar to the other 76ers’ starting players, he rested during the latter part of a lopsided defeat. Prior to Game 2, he was initially deemed “probable” with a right ankle sprain indication; however, he was subsequently declared unavailable hours before the game commenced, with right hip tenderness included in his injury report, according to PhillyVoice.
In the period preceding Game 2, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse indicated that Embiid’s condition could be described as “day-to-day.”
