Embiid gets tangled up, but ‘feels great’
PHILADELPHIA » For a moment Saturday, the 76ers had to collectively hold their breath. They weren’t alone.
“I think me and about 20,000 people held our breaths for the entire time,” the Sixers’ T.J. McConnell said.
That’s because Joel Embiid appeared to have twisted his right knee midway through the fourth quarter of the Sixers’ 112-98 win over the LA Clippers. Embiid described it as his hand “getting tangled inside my leg as I was reaching for the ball and nothing happened. I feel great.”
Regardless of how the Sixers’ All-Star center feels, it seemed somewhat reckless that they would rush him back onto the court so quickly. Embiid grabbed at and punched his right knee with 7:33 to go. He returned with 4:45 left, and the Sixers nursing a 97-93 lead.
Embiid said he did not get an x-ray. But he certainly must have undergone treatment, right?
“No treatment,” Embiid said. “They just checked the movement (in my knee) and everything was good.”
Embiid added that he wasn’t nervous to enter the game, citing no pain and no swelling in the joint.
“Can we just stop talking about my knee? I’m fine,” Embiid said.
Embiid missed all but 31 games last season after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee. His recent history of injuries would be reason enough to worry about putting him back in the game.
“Evidently not,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “I just sort of go with the medical people and they said he’s fine to come back in. I was surprised. As I said, I’m going to learn more when I go back.”
The situation produced a scare amid the Sixers’ third consecutive win. Embiid slipped on the court and fell awkwardly in front of the Los Angeles bench. While trying to shield the Clippers’ Tyrone Wallace from the ball, Embiid planted his right foot and had his left foot slide out from under him, as he tumbled to the hardwood.
Embiid walked off the court on his own and went to the team’s training room. He returned to the bench shortly afterward and was seen being stretched out by Sixers trainers in the team’s tunnel.
This was only the second time in Embiid’s career in which he had played both games of a back-toback schedule. He said fatigue played a role in the injury scare. Brown said he will need to watch game tape to see what exactly took place. Or what almost did.
“Jo says he’s fine. For a quick moment there, I was worried, but they cleared him to come back and play,” Brown said. “We go on a 5-0 run and life is still good. (Embiid) just said he was OK. I didn’t ask what happened.”
*** Brown’s starting five entered Saturday with a leaguebest offensive rating among units with particular minutes-played benchmarks. He believes Dario Saric’s improved long-range game contributes plenty to that overall success. Saric is shooting 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from beyond the arc over his last 11 games.
Saric, according to Brown, has listened to every coaching pointer he’s gotten. Bend your knees and drop your hips? Check. Step into the line rather than hug it? Consider it done. Lower your release point? Sounds good. The result, said Brown, is a shot with “eight to 10 more inches of air time.”
“All of those things equal a more-prepared, ready-toroll shooter,” Brown said of his second-year forward. “When you start just coaching the player and getting into the confidence because he starts making some, then you’ve got the Holy Grail of it all. I think he’s taken off lately. Whether he can maintain that, who knows? We hope so.” *** Doc Rivers has been around the game long enough to recognize which cities are known for their hospitality. Philadelphia doesn’t usually top his list. Then again, Rivers’ trips through Philly have never fallen in lockstep with the afterglow of a Super Bowl championship. Until this week. Rivers said he’s been exposed to a new, friendlier side of Philadelphia.
“People are so happy now,” the Clippers coach said, chuckling. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen this before. Six people said, ‘Good luck.’ I was like, ‘Wow, I’m in Oklahoma.’”
*** NOTES » Saturday afternoon, Atlanta and Marco Belinelli agreed to terms on a buyout. Due to the Sixers’ inactivity at this week’s trade deadline, it remains possible that the Sixers could look to lock up a veteran free agent like Belinelli to fill their 15th roster spot. Late Saturday, Yahoo! Sports reported that Belinelli has pledged to sign with the Sixers once he clears waivers. Brown, unavailable to address the report, said he speaks with general manager Bryan Colangelo about opportunities such as this . ... With the win, the Sixers (2825) needed only 53 games to match their win total from all of last season. It marked their ninth straight victory at Wells Fargo Center, where they have not lost since Dec. 21.