LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid left Sunday’s 124-121 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter due to a left ankle injury and has not returned.
Embiid appears to have hit his left ankle on the uppercut under the basket midway through the first quarter. After a media timeout with 6:18 left in the quarterfinals, Embiid slowly approached the Philadelphia bench and took the assistant coach’s seat immediately next to the scorer’s table. He seemed to be in a bit of pain, grabbing his left foot and grimacing as he was watched by the team’s training staff.
Embiid was then walking and talking to players and staff, including assistant manager Ime Udoka. Embiid initially sat in his seat in the back row of the Philadelphia bench. Almost as soon as he sat down, however, he got up and walked off the bench and headed for the locker room.
Towards the end of the second quarter, he was excluded for the remainder of the match. Embiid returned to the bench in the third quarter.
Embiid had two points on a 1 for 6 shot and four rebounds in 5:42 before exiting the game.
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