MRI confirms thumb ligament tear for Joel Embiid; Philadelphia 76ers star to have surgery after season, sources say

CAMDEN, N.J. — An MRI on Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid's sprained right thumb Sunday confirmed he has a ligament tear, but sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Embiid will have surgery to fix the tear after Philadelphia's season comes to an end.

"[The MRI] just confirmed what we thought," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. «But nothing changes.

»Treatment is the same. There literally will be no change. It's just, we knew we thought what it was and it was, so you just keep moving on."

Embiid suffered the injury in the first half of Philadelphia's 104-101 Game 3 victory over the Raptors in Toronto last Wednesday. While he had 28 points in the second half and overtime of that game — including a last-second game-winning 3-pointer — Embiid had 21 points and eight rebounds in Philadelphia's 110-102 Game 4 loss Saturday afternoon.

Embiid's eight rebounds marked the first time he finished a game with less than 10 in more than a month, and he said after the game it had impacted his rebounding, though he also said he'd continue playing through the injury.

«I would say it was more, you know, when it comes to rebounding, at the free throw, and also passing,» Embiid said after Game 4 of how his injury impacted his play. «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 job.»

When asked after Game 4 when the injury occurred, Embiid admitted he still wasn't sure, adding he must've gotten tied up with someone and injured his thumb as a result. It's just the latest in a series of fluky injuries Embiid has suffered throughout his career — and especially in the playoffs. The only time he was healthy for the playoffs was in