Philadelphia 76ers: Embiid injury overshadows eighth straight victory

Sure, the Philadelphia 76ers won their eighth straight game in yet another blowout victory, but it came at the cost of a Joel Embiid injury.

After ripping off seven straight impressive victories, the Philadelphia 76ers 118-101 victory over the New York Knicks is one win that the team would probably like to soon forget.

Sure, the Sixers got off to an impressive start, outscoring the Knicks by a score of 37-28 in the first quarter, but two minutes into the second disaster struck and the boundless cheers that typically fill the Wells Fargo Center screeched to an almost immediate halt.

After receiving the ball at the top of the key, Joel Embiid almost immediately collided with his recently reinstated teammate Markelle Fultz and promptly dropped to the floor in visible pain.

With many fans immediately fearing for the worst, instant replay showed Embiid’s face taking a direct hit from Fultz’s shoulder, in an unfortunate sequence of events that left the fourth year Cameroonian big man noticeably uncomfortable.

Thankfully Embiid wasn’t concussed on the play, but he remained in the locker room for the remainder of the game, and Brett Brown‘s squad was left seriously undermined for the remainder of the game.

With Amir Johson a pregame scratch with flu-like symptoms, Richaun Holmes quickly flew up the depth chart from deep reserve to starter, with Ersan Ilyasova serving as his out-of-position backup.

And while it was far from the cleanest game the team has ever played, they still found a way to win without their best player for the first time since their Valentines Day victory over the Miami Heat.

Fueled by a monster 26 point double-double by second-year forward Dario Saric, the 76ers once again pulled out a double-digit win against their lottery-bound opponent and did so while giving their reserves some much-needed playing time with the playoffs only three weeks away.

Next: Is reincorporating Markelle Fultz a mistake?

While only time if Embiid will be available to play in the Sixers next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, April 30th, it’s at least nice to know that Coach Brown’s squad can beat up on lesser teams even without their best player.