Sixers’ Joel Embiid suffers broken sinus against Pacers

Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, the latest setback in a season full of them for the All-Star big man.

Embiid was battling Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin for a defensive rebound in the final seconds of the first half when he took an errant forearm and elbow to the face. He fell to the ground as play continued on the court and remained near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.

The team ruled him out at the beginning of the second half due to an “impact on the right side of the face” in the area of ​​the cheek and nose.

Coach Nick Nurse did not have an update on Embiid’s status after the game, other than to say that he was still undergoing testing. The team later said he suffered a fractured sinus and would be reevaluated this weekend. On Sunday, the Sixers officially ruled Embiid out for Monday’s game in Charlotte.

Embiid scored 12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 17½ minutes in the loss for the 76ers, who will play next Monday in Charlotte.

He has played in only six of Philadelphia’s 23 games. Embiid is bothered by swelling in his left knee and served a three-game suspension for a physical incident with a reporter.

Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, considered Philadelphia’s big three after George’s arrival in the offseason, have played parts of just three games together. The Sixers are 7-16 on the season.

“You just have to go ahead and practice when we practice again and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points. “The bad thing about this is that we were moving in the right direction. The guys were discovering roles, what the coach wants from them and playing the right way. We know how to play with Joel, and now maybe we have to reverse our minds .play without it. It’s okay.

Embiid has suffered several facial injuries, including a fracture of the orbital bone after a collision with Pascal Siakam during the 2022 playoffs against the Toronto Raptors and one in 2018 after colliding with teammate Markelle Fultz. Last year, Embiid revealed during a first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks that he had Bell’s palsy.

Embiid told ESPN after Sunday’s win in Chicago that his left knee problems this season were “depressing” because the swelling was not related to an injury. That was Philadelphia’s last game before Friday.

“He’s been in a really good place all week and practiced all week,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid’s mental state. “We did a lot of things to catch up with him. But I imagine he may feel like the dark cloud is hanging over him a little bit. Unfortunately, he keeps running into something.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.