When will Joel Embiid play? Sixers star is day-to-day for Game 3

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TL;DR

Joel Embiid is day-to-day and uncertain for Game 3 of the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers face a 2-0 series deficit against the New York Knicks after his absence in Game 2.

Key points

Joel Embiid is day-to-day for Game 3
76ers are down 2-0 in the series
Embiid missed Game 2 due to injury
Game 3 is at Xfinity Mobil Arena

Joel EmbiidPhiladelphia 76ersNew York Knicks

When will Joel Embiid play? Sixers star is day-to-day for Game 3

Joel Embiid is day-to-day. Again. And nobody knows when, or even if, he will play again.

The Philadelphia 76ers are staring at a 2-0 series hole against the New York Knicks after Embiid sat out Wednesday’s Game 2 with a sprained right ankle and right hip soreness. ESPN reported on Thursday that he is day-to-day with no guarantee he plays Friday.

The 108-102 loss Wednesday night puts the 76ers’ season on the brink heading into Friday’s Game 3 at Xfinity Mobil Arena.

Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid woke up Wednesday with significant soreness before the shootaround. He received treatment and was ruled out by the Sixers' medical staff.

“He really wants to be out there,” Nurse said. “Coming back from that appendectomy so quickly was not easy for him to do. He worked extremely hard. I just know from his reaction – he was genuinely sad.”

The latest setback adds another chapter to a brutal postseason for the oft-injured star.

Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy on April 9 and missed the first three games of the first-round series against Boston. He came back and was dominant, averaging 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in four games as the Sixers rallied from 3-1 down to beat the Celtics in seven games.

In Game 1 against the Knicks, Mikal Bridges ran into Embiid's midsection on a screen. There is speculation the collision aggravated the hip, but Embiid would not call it a dirty hit and said he needed to do a better job of protecting himself.