Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture during, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. They will evaluate it further over the weekend.
Embiid left the Philadelphia 76ers’ matchup with the Indiana Pacers on Friday with a possible facial injury. The Pacers ultimately won the game, 121-107, but most of the questions concerned Embiid’s status in the immediate aftermath.
The Sixers center was injured during Indiana’s last possession of the first half. With 18.4 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton missed a layup and Bennedict Mathurin jumped to the line to grab an offensive rebound. As he landed on the court, Mathurin’s left arm hit Embiid on the right side of the face.
Joel Embiid got up and walked to the locker room with a few seconds left in the first half, here he was hit in the face by Bennedict Mathurin’s arm. pic.twitter.com/2gLajNwgny
—Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 14, 2024
Embiid fell to the ground as play continued on the court and a trainer came out to check on him. He remained lying down, clearly concerned about the area around his eye. Embiid has previously suffered orbital bone fractures on both the left and right sides of his face. (He suffered right side fracture and concussion in 2022 after being hit by Pascal Siakam’s elbow).
So it seems understandable that Embiid would immediately worry about any hard impact to that area of his face. Trainer Kevin Johnson also appeared to be checking for any type of eye injury, along with signs of a fracture.
Embiid did not return after the break, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes of play. After the game, Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Embiid was being tested due to possible fractures in his facial area.