PHILADELPHIA — Doc Rivers caught some criticism for playing Joel Embiid and the other 76ers starters late in a blowout victory to close out the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
With the Sixers up 29 points, Embiid suffered an orbital bone fracture near his right eye and a concussion with 3 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in Game 6 of the opening-round series. He was hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow delivered by Toronto’s Pascal Siakam. Siakam was eventually called for an offensive foul. The MVP candidate is sidelined indefinitely by those injuries heading into the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat. Game 1 is 7:30 p.m. on Monday at FTX Arena.
Embiid will not accompany the Sixers on their flight to Miami on Sunday.
