Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is playing in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Embiid suffered a small meniscus tear in his knee in the first round against the Washington Wizards. The Sixers star suffered the injury in Game 4 and then sat out Game 5.
It was initially unclear if Embiid was going to be able to play in Game 1 against the Hawks, or even when exactly he was going to return to the lineup, but he clearly felt good enough to give it a go on Sunday.
The early returns on Joel Embiid in his return to the lineup are good. He's moving well early and had seven points by the first timeout midway through the first quarter, including a 3-pointer. It has been a fast-paced game so far between these two teams.
Embiid is one of the finalists for MVP this season. While he likely won't win because of Nikola Jokic's dominance, Embiid enjoyed a career season for the top-seeded Sixers. The big man averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 51 regular-season games in 2020-21. He dominated the Wizards in the first round when healthy.
Philly needs Joel Embiid to be playing at his best in order to win a championship this season, and they'll likely need him in this series against a red-hot Atlanta Hawks squad. The Hawks are firing on all cylinders after impressively beating the fourth-seeded New York Knicks in five games.
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