Report: 76ers Insiders Believe Joel Embiid Played vs. Warriors Due to Injury Scrutiny

Some members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization reportedly believe Joel Embiid's knee injury could have been avoided if he was able to shut out the outside noise.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported there is a chorus in the Sixers organization who think criticism from social media and media members played a part in Embiid pushing to play in Tuesday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

Embiid, who sat out Saturday's game against the Denver Nuggets and Monday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers with left knee soreness, was injured in the fourth quarter when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said the injury was "unrelated" to the soreness Embiid has been dealing with for most of this season. Embiid had just 14 points and seven rebounds while shooting 5-of-18 from the floor. The reigning MVP had posted 22 straight games with 30 or more points.

"He said he's more rusty—he hadn't been on the court in five days—but he said he felt good," Nurse told reporters. "He felt like he wasn't quite playing like his normal self, but he felt like that was more rust and rhythm than it was anything else."

Embiid has missed 12 games this season, meaning he can only miss five more to remain eligible for postseason honors under the league's new collective bargaining agreement. That may have played a factor in Embiid looking to stay on the floor, and he likely wanted to play in a high-profile game against the Warriors.

That said, if Embiid suffered a major injury, it's more a failure of the Sixers' medical staff than any NBA rules or outside noise. Players want to play. It's in their nature. Embiid was clearly at less than 100 percent, and the medical staff clearing him may have resulted in a far more catastrophic result.

Embiid is set for an MRI on his knee that will determine the extent of the damage.