76ers' Joel Embiid Reveals He Was Supposed to Miss 4-6 Weeks with Knee Injury

Following a 121-87 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid divulged that his knee injury was supposed to keep him out for a significant period of time.

According to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, Embiid was asked about his decision to return in Game 2 rather than waiting for Game 3, and he responded by saying: "With what I have, I'm supposed to be out four to six weeks. ... Got this out of the way, disappointed by the loss, but that's a step toward getting back to myself."

Embiid, who missed the Sixers' Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets in the first round and Game 1 win over the Celtics in the second round, largely struggled in Wednesday's loss, scoring 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbing only three rebounds. He did block five shots in his 27 minutes, though.

Embiid was dominant during the regular season, which resulted in him winning the NBA MVP award for the first time in his career. Appearing in 66 games, the 7-footer won his second consecutive scoring title by averaging a career-high 33.1 points per game on a career-best 54.8 percent shooting from the field.

The 29-year-old veteran also made a sizable impact in other areas, averaging 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and 1.0 made three-pointer per contest.

While Embiid is a force at both ends of the floor when healthy, injuries have been a major issue throughout his career. He missed two of the Sixers' 12 playoff games last season, too.

Embiid has played in four of Philly's six playoff games so far this year, and he hasn't been the same player as he was during the regular season. The MVP is averaging only 18.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game, and he has been far less efficient than he was during the regular season, shooting only 45.8 percent from the field.

When Embiid was out for Game 1 of the Boston series, star guard James Harden tied his playoff career high with 45 points in a surprising Sixers victory. With a hobbled Embiid back in Game 2, the 76ers needed another big effort from Harden, but he was shut down by the Celtics, scoring only 12 points on 2-of-14 shooting.

The recovery timeline that Embiid provided suggests he likely won't be close to 100 percent for the rest of this series. Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will need to increase their production accordingly.

Embiid and Co. will look to get back on track Friday when they host the defending Eastern Conference champions in Game 3.