Embiid leaves Sixers vs. game Pacers after being punched in the face originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When the Sixers walked out of the locker room to start the second half on Friday night, Joel Embiid was not there.
Early in the third quarter, the Sixers ruled Embiid out for the remainder of their game against the Pacers.
After taking an accidental blow to the right side of his face from Pacers shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, Embiid left the game with 6.5 seconds left in the second quarter. He will undergo further tests, a team official said.
While chasing his own miss inside, Mathurin’s arm connected with Embiid’s face. The seven-time All-Star lay on the floor for a few minutes and returned to the locker room with a towel pressed to his face.
Embiid has been hampered by a troublesome left knee this season and missed 17 of the Sixers’ first 23 games. He has a history of facial injuries, suffering a left orbital fracture in 2018 and a right orbital fracture in 2022.
The Sixers started the night without Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement), Kyle Lowry (lower back spasms) and Adem Bona (left knee tendinopathy). Their Big 3 of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have only played one full game together thus far.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
