Dirty Hit? Joel Embiid Questions Mikal Bridges Running Into His Stomach Weeks After Appendectomy
Health is often an area of concern for Joel Embiid, and the Philadelphia 76ers big man questioned a play by Mikal Bridges that left him doubled over in pain during the second quarter of Monday's 137-98 loss to the New York Knicks.
"I got hit on it," Embiid said of the play, per Ky Carlin of USA Today's Sixers Wire. "I don't know if it was—obviously, based on what's been going on. I guess I got to protect it more. I don't know if it was dirty or not. I guess I gotta do a better job of protecting my (stomach), yeah, especially that part."
Embiid is coming off an appendectomy and was limited to four games in the first round against the Boston Celtics, so it was notable when Bridges ran into his abdomen while chasing Tyrese Maxey off a screen.
"Yeah, it was off the screen," Embiid said. "I don't think that was necessary, because, you know, Tyrese was already gone, and it was kind of like after the play. I just felt like it was unnecessary, but we move on. It's playoff basketball. If that's the reality of it, I guess we got to go out and be physical, too and do it, too."
The collision was part of a painful night for Embiid and the 76ers.
New York jumped out to a commanding 23-point halftime lead and never looked back in front of a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden. While it was just one game in the second round, it is not difficult to see the Knicks as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference after they also won their final two first-round games against the Atlanta Hawks by a combined 80 points.
Embiid had no answers as he finished with 14 points and four rebounds on just 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Nobody on the visitors scored more than 17 points, which is not going to be enough to counter Jalen Brunson and Co. in this series.
Brunson poured in 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from deep as he took over for extended stretches until the game was in hand.
The silver lining for Philadelphia is it was just one game. It already overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Celtics in large part because of Embiid's impressive play in the second half of that series and is just one win away in Game 2 from stealing home-court advantage from the Knicks.
It will need Embiid to be healthy, though, which made the play involving Bridges all the more concerning.
It at least seemed like the seven-time All-Star was fine in the aftermath, which could set the stage for a bounce-back effort during Wednesday's Game 2.
