76ers star Embiid out for forseeable future with orbital fracture, concussion

Joel Embiid feared this would be the case. Turns out, he was right.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday night that Embiid — the NBA scoring champion and an MVP finalist — has a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion. Those injuries, for now anyway, have him listed as out on the injury report and will keep him there for the foreseeable future.

The 76ers open an Eastern Conference semifinal series at Miami on Monday night.

Embiid checked out moments later. Now, nobody knows when he'll play again. He sat down for a postgame interview with NBA TV immediately following the game, and one of the first questions he got was about how he was feeling.

"I think he might have broken my face," Embiid said. "It's all good. It's the playoffs."

Thing is, it wasn't all good. And Embiid's diagnosis was spot on.

Barring a significant change, it would appear Embiid won't be able to start this series — at minimum. A similar fracture, to his left orbital bone, kept him out for about three weeks late in the 2017-18 season. He needed surgery and missed 10 games, including the first two games of a playoff series against the Heat.

Embiid led the 76ers with averages of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and assists and 1.5 blocks per game during the regular season. And even though he's bothered by a right thumb ligament injury that will require offseason surgery, he also averaged 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in the six games against the Raptors.

He's one of three finalists for MVP, along with Denver's Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo. And earlier Friday, when the Heat began practice in preparation for the series with the 76ers, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra raved about Embiid.

"He's extremely skilled," Spoelstra said. "You're