Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will return for Game 3 Friday night against the Miami Heat, per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.

The 76ers are down 2-0 in the series, so his return comes at a much-needed time. To give the Sixers some additional hope, Games 3 and 4 are back at home in Philadelphia.

Embiid's absence has been very noticeable in the Eastern Conference Semifinals so far, as the Heat have walloped the Sixers by a combined 30 points. With the star big man out, the Sixers have lacked multiple scoring options. Tyrese Maxey has stepped up mightily, averaging 26.5 points in the first two games. Tobias Harris has also scored 48 combined points. That hasn't been enough though, as the Sixers have lacked any sort of post presence.

This has been the case on both ends of the floor, as DeAndre Jordan and Paul Reed haven't been able to fulfill the huge gap left by Embiid. Defensively has specifically been a problem in trying to guard Heat center Bam Adebayo. Adebayo's averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 71.4% from the floor. Embiid will certainly help slow down those numbers in addition to his offensive presence.

After an MVP-caliber regular season, Embiid dominated the first round against the Raptors. He averaged 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in the six-game series. His return obviously means the likes of Jordan and Reed will have their minutes significantly cut down. It remains to be seen if Embiid will be on a minutes restriction or not.

While it'll be a massive task for the Sixers to come back in the series, getting Embiid back at least gives them some hope before Game 3.