PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture after an incident during the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The injury occurred when Embiid was contesting a rebound late in the first half and was struck by an elbow and forearm from Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin. Embiid fell to the court, appearing to be in pain, and remained down near the Philadelphia bench while holding his face.
After the game, Embiid was taken to the Wells Fargo Center for a medical evaluation, and the team later confirmed that he sustained a sinus fracture. The 76ers announced that he would undergo further assessments over the weekend to determine the next steps for his recovery.
In the 76ers’ 121-107 defeat to the Pacers, Embiid managed to score 12 points and grab four rebounds, in addition to providing five assists during his 17.5 minutes on the court. This game marked only Embiid’s sixth appearance of the season; he has struggled with swelling in his left knee and recently served a three-game suspension due to an altercation with a reporter.
With the addition of Paul George in the offseason, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and George had been anticipated to form Philadelphia’s “Big Three.” However, the trio has only played together in parts of three games thus far. The 76ers are currently sitting at a disappointing 7-16 record.
“This is about moving forward and trying to adjust as best we can,” commented Maxey, who led the 76ers with 22 points in the game. “It’s unfortunate because we were starting to find our rhythm. Everyone was beginning to understand their roles and what the coach expects from us. We know how to play alongside Joel, but now we may need to reacquaint ourselves with playing without him. That’s just part of it, and we’ll adapt.”
Embiid has had a history of facial injuries, including an orbital bone fracture sustained during a collision with Toronto’s Pascal Siakam in the 2022 playoffs and a similar injury in 2018 caused by a clash with teammate Markelle Fultz. Additionally, he dealt with Bell’s Palsy during a playoff series against New York last season.
After a victory in Chicago earlier in the week, Embiid expressed his frustration over his ongoing left knee issues, mentioning that the non-injury-related swelling felt “depressing.” Head coach Nick Nurse addressed Embiid’s state of mind, noting that he had been in good spirits and practicing well leading up to the game against the Pacers. However, Nurse acknowledged the player might feel like he’s under a “black cloud” due to his string of unfortunate injuries.
