PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid returned to the court after missing three games. The Philadelphia 76ers center didn't miss a beat, though it wasn't exactly a tough challenge facing the Detroit Pistons without their two best centers. The Sixers won 147-116 and it wasn't even close thanks in large part to Embiid's 36 points in roughly 24 minutes.
Embiid missed the Sixers' last three games due to left foot soreness but dominated the Pistons and his former teammate, Nerlens Noel. He talked about his most recent injury after the game, saying that he feels better than he expected to.
“I'm alright. Better than expected,” Embiid said to reporters after the game. He clarified that this injury was not related to the plantar fasciitis he had in the offseason, saying it was instead the one he “had earlier in the year, landing on someone's foot. I don’t know if I did the same thing but it's about the same thing, so I just gotta manage it and go off based on pain and stuff.” Embiid hurt his foot in a November matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves and missed the following four games.
When asked if he would have played through the pain if it was the playoffs, Embiid said that he would not have. “Based on when it happened, I don't think I would have been able to play,” the Sixers superstar said. “I'm still not fully [healthy] but that's just something you got to manage. Over time, it's gonna be fine.”
Joel Embiid has been one of the best players in the NBA when healthy and hasn't missed a significant amount of time with a single injury yet this season. He and the Sixers will surely be playing it safe to make sure it stays that way.
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