TORONTO, ON- APRIL 28 - Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) covers his face after getting an elbow from Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) that fractured his orbital bone and left him with a concussion as the Toronto Raptors fall the P PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia 76ers all-star center Joel Embiid has cleared the NBA's concussion protocol but remains listed as ‘out' for Friday's playoff matchup with the Miami Heat.
Embiid's availability for Friday could still change before the game. Embiid suffered a broken orbital bone and a concussion in the Sixers' close out game against the Toronto Raptors while defending a hard drive to the basket by Pascal Siakam.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that while Embiid was not expected to play as of Thursday, "progress could be made to change his availability."Embiid was already playing with a torn ligament in his right thumb that he sustained earlier in the Toronto series.
The Sixers will need to climb back from a 2-0 hole if they want to advance past the second round of the playoffs. That looks like a tall task without Embiid, even as the series shifts back to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday.James Harden and Tyrese Maxey obviously are missing Embiid, who is also dealing with a thumb injury.