Heading into Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is probable due to an illness.
Led by 45 points from Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-95 in Game 1 of their second round series Saturday night. Now, as the 76ers try to head home with the series evened, center Joel Embiid is listed as probable for Monday night’s Game 2 as he deals with a bought of gastroenteritis.
Embiid has been battling left knee soreness since late in the regular season, and he was not very good in Game 1 against the Raptors. Over 30 minutes of action, as he reached that mark for just the second time in his five playoff games, he had 16 points on 5-for-18 shooting (1-for-3 from 3-point range) with eight rebounds and two assists. His counterpart Marc Gasol was not as productive in a surface sense (eight points, two rebounds, four assists and one block), but he was a plus-29 over 26 minutes for Toronto in Game 1 compared to Embiid’s plus-four.
After Saturday’s loss Embiid acknowledged the need for the 76ers to step their collective games up, partially citing how much better the Raptors are than first-round opponent the Brooklyn Nets.
Obviously, Raptors are way better than the Nets, but we’re down. I’m sure we’re going to come back,” Embiid told reporters after the loss. “We’re now 0-1, so I’m definitely going to adjust, everybody’s going to adjust.
“We did not do a good job of picking up the ball and getting back on defense and so we’ve got to do a better job.
When asked about the condition of his troublesome knee on Saturday, Embiid said “I’m ok, I’m good.”
If anything, missing Monday morning’s shootaround as he did allowed Embiid to get just a little bit of extra rest for his knee. A probable label suggests he will be on the floor when Game 2 tips off, but Philadelphia’s chance to win and even the series 1-1 rests largely on how much Embiid plays and even more on how effective he can be.