Embiid has 50 to lead 76ers to win, reveals Bell's palsy diagnosis - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Not only did Joel Embiid set a playoff career high with 50 points to drag the Philadelphia 76ers back into their first-round series against the New York Knicks with a 125-114 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, but he did it while playing through Bell's palsy, a condition that has affected the left side of his face.

«I think it started a day or two before the Miami game [in the play-in tournament], and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing,» Embiid said after Thursday's win. «It's pretty annoying, you know, with, the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. So yeah, it's been tough.

»But I'm not a quitter, so gotta keep fighting. But yeah, it's unfortunate. That's the way I look at it. But it's not an excuse. Gotta keep pushing."

Embiid said the condition has affected his vision at times, causing it to be blurry, and said he constantly has to put eye drops in his eye to keep it from getting too dry. He also said it's unclear how long the condition could last, but that it could be weeks, or even months, until it clears up.

«I just hope that it could stay like this,» Embiid said before adding with a smile, «I got a beautiful face. I don't like when my mouth is looking the other way.

»Like I said, unfortunate situation, but everything happens for a reason. Like I said, I gotta take care of myself mentally."

Despite dealing with this condition, Embiid was able to put up a historic performance in Game 3, one that backed up Embiid's emphatic declaration in the visitors locker room at Madison Square Garden on Monday night after Philadelphia's collapse in the closing seconds of Game 2 that the 76ers would go on to win the series.

After a foul-filled first half that saw two fouls be reviewed by the