Joel Embiid says he will 'keep playing' through thumb sprain after Toronto Raptors force Game 5

TORONTO — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid believes he will be able to play through his right thumb sprain until the playoffs are done, saying that if there is a ligament tear he expects to hold off any sort of surgical procedure until the offseason.

«I want to play, so obviously got to listen to what they have to say,» Embiid said Saturday after the 76ers were on the wrong end of a 110-102 decision to the Raptors in Game 4 of their first-round series. «So, I would imagine that I keep playing and probably do something after the season.»

Embiid, who suffered the thumb sprain in the first half of Game 3, finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes in Game 4. He went 7-for-16 from the field and 7-for-9 from the foul line. He wore a wrap on his right (shooting) thumb during the game and had the same brace on his right hand that he had both after Game 3 and for Friday's practice.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday that an initial exam of the thumb showed a ligament tear, but that an MRI, which Embiid said would be taken Sunday, was needed to confirm it.

Embiid said the injury was painful and joked that «in basketball, you need to use your hand a lot» when asked if it was impacting his play on the court.

When asked what specifically is bothering him, he said it impacted his rebounding. Embiid's eight rebounds were the fewest he's had in a game since a win over Dallas on Jan. 18 — a span of 14 games.

«I would say it was more, you know, when it comes to rebounding, at the free throw and also passing,» Embiid said. «I don't know how to explain but it's whatever. But the bigger story is that we lost the game, we weren't able to close it out. And we got to do a better