Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture during Friday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers. ESPN CEO Shams Charania reports this. He will evaluate further this weekend.
The Pacers ultimately won the game, 121–107, but most questions focused on Embiid’s condition immediately afterward.
Embiid was injured on Indiana’s final possession of the first half. With 18.4 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton missed a layup and Bennedict Mathurin jumped into the lane for an offensive rebound. As he landed on the court, Mathurin’s left arm struck Embiid on the right side of his face.
Joel Embiid got up and walked to the locker room with a few seconds to play in the first half, where he was hit in the face by Bennedict Mathurin’s arm. pic.twitter.com/2gLajNwgny
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 14, 2024
Embiid fell to the ground as play continued on the court and a trainer came out to check on him. He lay there, clearly concerned about the area around his eye. Embiid has previously suffered orbital bone fractures in both the left and right sides of his face. (He suffered a right fracture and a concussion in 2022 after being struck by Pascal Siakam’s elbow.)
So it seems understandable that Embiid would immediately be concerned about any hard impact on that part of his face. In addition to signs of a fracture, trainer Kevin Johnson also appeared to be checking for any kind of eye injury.
Embiid did not return after halftime and finished with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes of play. After the game, Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters Embiid was tested for possible fractures to his face.
