PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid will sit out because of a sprained right knee when the Philadelphia 76ers try to complete a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
The 76ers added the All-Star center to the injury report Friday night, a night after he was limping multiple times during their 102-97 victory in Game 3.
There’s optimism Embiid could be ready to return as soon as early next week, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne on Friday.
The NBA’s leading scorer did block a shot to protect a two-point lead with 8.8 seconds left and said after the game he was OK.
Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, has been hit by injuries in the playoffs most of his career. He suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb and an orbital fracture last year in the playoffs. He’s missed other postseason games with knee injuries and illness.
The 76ers can’t afford to have Embiid miss much time if they want to make a serious run at their first NBA championship since 1983.
Embiid dodged an ejection Thursday night when he kicked his leg up toward Nets center Nic Claxton’s groin. Claxton had just dunked and Embiid fell to the court after fouling him. Claxton then slowly stepped over Embiid, who kicked up his leg into Claxton’s upper leg area before players from both teams rushed in.
After a video review, Embiid was given a flagrant foul 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.