76ers’ Embiid could miss showdown against Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid could miss Thursday’s key NBA Eastern Conference matchup with the Boston Celtics after suffering a dislocated left ring finger in the first quarter of Monday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Embiid, 25, said doctors told him he could have suffered a ligament injury. Embiid said he initially thought the finger was broken when he felt discomfort midway through the first quarter, but a locker-room X-ray was negative, and he was cleared to return to action. Back on the court, the extent of the injury became clear when his ring finger was pointing in an unnatural direction. Embiid returned to the game with his fingers taped together and wound up with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 32 minutes. The Sixers won 120-113.