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The Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff hopes all hinge on the health of megastar Joel Embiid. But despite a dazzling first half against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the playoffs, things quickly turned disastrous.
The 76ers and Knicks have been scrapping like crazy in the first half, with the Sixers taking a 13-point lead thanks to a strong start from Embiid. But after losing that lead in the second quarter, things went from bad to worse as a dunk from Embiid saw him land awkwardly on his oft-injured leg.
Embiid was down on the hardwood for several minutes and seemed to have a twitch in his right eye. He was finally being helped up and assisted off the court but not return to the court before halftime.
Joel Embiid went back to the locker room after an apparent injury. pic.twitter.com/66CZtqG9z3
— ESPN (@espn) April 20, 2024
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Fans who saw the play were immediately concerned, particularly with the eye twitch issue.
“My soul left my body when Embiid went down. #Sixers,” one user wrote.
“Those eyes looked like he knows he ain’t coming back 💔 unfortunate he can’t catch a break,” wrote another.
“Joel Embiid drops 15 first quarter points. Looks great. Pulls off a lob to himself and throws it down with the right. A sick play. And he gets injured. He is snake bitten. It sucks that such a special talent can’t escape the injury bug,” a third lamented.
Embiid exited the game with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists in just over 16 minutes.
The Knicks lead the Sixers 58-46 at halftime.
The game is being played on ESPN and The MSG Network.