The Philadelphia 76ers have had to play the first two games of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series without Joel Embiid. He suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion in Game 6 of the first round. Now, the Sixers are down 0-2 to the Miami Heat ahead of Game 3 in Philadelphia.

While he was officially ruled out of the first two games before the series even began, Embiid's availability for Game 3 has been up in the air. Unfortunately, Doc Rivers' latest update isn't ideal for Embiid's return. The head coach told the media Thursday afternoon that he has yet to practice for the Sixers since suffering the injury.

NBC Sports Philadelphia's Amy Fadool tweeted the critical update Thursday afternoon.

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This is horrible news for Philadelphia, especially with Game 3 just a day away.

However, hope isn't lost just yet. As reported by Fadool, this doesn't mean that Embiid is officially out for Friday night's matchup. If he is cleared to play, Embiid will likely be on the court for Game 3.

Meanwhile, starters like Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey are struggling to keep their team engaged in the process (no pun intended). They displayed a huge amount of heart in Game 2, while the rest of the team, including James Harden, seemed to fall behind.

With or without Embiid, the Sixers will attempt to snatch a win Friday night. Game 3 is the Sixers' first home game of the series. The home-court advantage could be exactly what this team needs to turn the series around.