76ers Fined $75K for Failing to Add Joel Embiid to Injury Report Before Nuggets Game

The NBA has fined the Philadelphia 76ers $75,000 for failing to place reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid on the injury report "in an accurate and timely manner" prior to the team's game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

The league released a statement Thursday, adding that the fine "takes into account Philadelphia's prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules."

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 76ers' training staff expressed concerns about Embiid while watching him warm up before Philadelphia's 111-105 road loss to Denver.

Embiid missed the Denver game and the 76ers' ensuing 130-104 road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He returned Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors but favored his knee and clearly struggled due to the injury, finishing with just 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting in 30 minutes.

Embiid exited the game early after Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee trying to retrieve a loose ball. He will now miss his team's road game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday and will also undergo further evaluation, per Wojnarowski.

The NBA has fined the 76ers before regarding injury reporting issues, most notably $50,000 following Game 3 of a second-round matchup against the Miami Heat, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN:

"Embiid was listed as out for Friday's game as late as noon Friday -- even after being cleared from the NBA's concussion protocol and participating in the 76ers' morning shootaround.

"Then, at 12:30 p.m., Embiid was upgraded to doubtful -- which he remained until he was named as part of the starting lineup about a half-hour before the game tipped off."

The league also fined the 76ers $25,000 for failing to put Ben Simmons on the injury report before a Jan. 9, 2021 game against the Nuggets. Simmons did not play.

The 76ers ultimately have bigger issues than taking some financial hits.

Embiid did not look right against Golden State, and now there's legitimate concern about the health of his left knee moving forward. Meanwhile, the 76ers are in a tailspin after losing their last four games, dropping to fifth in the Eastern Conference.

They'll try to stop that skid in Salt Lake City on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.