76ers' Doc Rivers Not Upset About Leaving Joel Embiid in vs. Raptors Despite Injuries

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has no regrets about leaving Joel Embiid on the court late in the fourth quarter of the team's 132-97 Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday to close out their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Rivers explained his process with his star center during the game:

"After Joel made the shot and did the airplane [the prior possession], if you watch the game, I turned and said, 'I'm calling a timeout on the next possession.' I'm not upset that he was in. You can make that a big deal if you want. But just go look at every team, and every game, and their guys are in until about the 4, 3-minute mark. That's what it is."

Rivers has been questioned about the decision in the wake of Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reporting Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion after taking an elbow to the face by Pascal Siakam with 3:58 left to play.

According to Charania, Embiid has no timetable to return.

The 76ers were up 119-90 when Embiid was inadvertently hit by Siakam. He was removed from the game at that point, but the injury now leaves a huge question mark for the team going into its series against the Miami Heat.

Prior to suffering the orbital fracture and mild concussion, Embiid tore a ligament in his right thumb during Game 3 against the Raptors. The thumb injury will require surgery during the offseason.

It's no secret that Embiid is vital to Philadelphia's success. He is a finalist for the NBA MVP award, along with Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 28-year-old led the league in scoring during the regular season (30.6 points per game). He was fantastic in six games against the Raptors, averaging 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 52.0 percent from the field.

Miami has injury concerns of its own heading into the series. Kyle Lowry didn't play in the final two games against the Atlanta Hawks with a hamstring issue. Jimmy Butler sat out Game 5 on Tuesday with right knee soreness.

Butler told reporters after Saturday's practice his knee is "all right" and he expects to be ready for Game 1 against the Sixers.

Given the uncertainty around Embiid's availability right now, the 76ers will have to rely heavily on James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to generate offense against Miami's defense.

Harden had one of his best games in a Sixers jersey in Game 6 against the Raptors. He dropped 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting and dished out 15 assists. Maxey averaged 21.3 points and 4.8 assists with a 40.5 three-point percentage in the series.

Philadelphia and Miami will play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.