PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid left the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers shortly before halftime Friday night after being struck in the face going for a defensive rebound.
Embiid was battling Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin when he caught an errant forearm and elbow to the face. Embiid crumpled to the floor as play continued up the court and stayed down near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.
The team ruled him out early in the second half with “impact to the right side of the face.”
Speaking after the loss, 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Embiid still was undergoing tests to determine if he suffered any facial fractures.
Embiid had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in 17½ minutes before leaving.
He was playing only his sixth game out of 23 for Philadelphia. He has been bothered by swelling in his left knee and also served a three-game suspension for a physical incident with a reporter.
Embiid has had number of facial injuries, including an orbital bone fracture 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 season, Embiid revealed he had Bell’s Palsy during a first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.