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Brown says Embiid went through some light contact drills yesterday. Says "everything is still on the table" with regards to Embiid's availability tonight.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) April 19, 2018
Listed as doubtful, but remaining optimistic. Nothing has changed since yesterday’s announcement. This news comes after morning shootaround when Brett Brown addressed the media.
The hope for a while was that Embiid’s return would come midway through this series, which could still happen Game 4 or 5. But if Embiid does not play in a situation following a loss, it’s disappointing, to say the least.
With the way the Heat have turned things on defensively, Joel’s return would be of significant aid. However, putting the loss into perspective, it’s not a lethal blow to be without his service in Game 3. The Sixers were in a position, down 4, to steal Game 2. While the Sixers’ 27 point win in Game 1 was thanks to an outlier shooting night (18-28 from 3PT), their 10 point loss in Game 2 was thanks to an outlier of the negative variety going 7-36 from 3PT. And again, they still had an opportunity to steal Game 2. Even with the increased physicality — and no Tony Brothers — the Sixers should be prepared enough to win without Embiid.
Some may suspect this is all a ruse to get Miami of the mindset that Embiid won’t play, and then:
*Language NSFW
We shall see.
In any event, Sixers fans pray for the full recovery and first round return of JoJo. Godspeed, big fella.