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The Miami Heat earned another decisive victory against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 lead as the Eastern Conference Semifinals shift to the City of Brotherly Love. Needless to say, the Sixers' hopes of being competitive in this series rest on their performance in a pivotal Game 3.
Will Joel Embiid be available to help his team right the ship?
Is Joel Embiid playing in Game 3 vs. Heat
Philadelphia's franchise player hasn't taken the floor since his team's series-closing win over the Toronto Raptors on April 28th, when he took a hard elbow to the face from Pascal Siakam in the game's closing minutes. Already suffering from torn ligaments in his right thumb, Embiid was diagnosed with a mild concussion and orbital fracture as a result of the incident.
The Sixers listed him as out indefinitely upon news of Embiid's injury, casting doubt on his ability to re-appear in the playoffs at all. The MVP candidate has been progressing in his rehabilitation over recent days, though, fueling speculation he could return to the court as soon as Friday's Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center.
Embiid's status was unchanged when it came time for the Sixers to release their injury report on Thursday evening.
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76ers are listing All-Star Joel Embiid as out for Game 3 vs. Heat on Friday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 5, 2022
Don't be fooled by Embiid's official designation, though.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, there remains a chance Embiid could be cleared by Friday's 4:00 p.m. (PST) tipoff.
The Sixers are currently listing Joel Embiid as out for Game 3, but there’s still progress that could be made to change his availability vs. Heat on Friday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 5, 2022
Joel Embiid will be listed as OUT as of the 5 pm reporting deadline tonight, I’m told. He is still in the process of being cleared — don’t think it means he’s definitively out for Game 3, but where things stand in return to play steps right now
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 5, 2022
Miami, of course, would be no pushover in Game 3 if Embiid is given the green light to play. His performance tailed off in the first round after suffering that thumb injury, While Erik Spoelstra and Heat have a plethora of elite defenders and complicated coverages to throw at him.
But there's no debating that Philadelphia is a much better team with Embiid manning the middle. Here's hoping he's healthy enough to play on Friday night, current status be damned.
