Joel Embiid Not Cleared for Full Contact, Brett Brown Says 'He's Getting There'
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid hasn't been cleared for full contact and remains doubtful for Thursday night's Game 3 clash with the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com provided the update Thursday on Embiid, who's been sidelined since late March with an orbital fracture, from Sixers head coach Brett Brown.
"He's getting there," Brown said. "To just let him go out there [and play in Game 3] right now, it's still all on the table. ... He did some contact yesterday, it's progressing."
Embiid expressed his frustration with his continued absence in an Instagram post after the Sixers' Game 2 loss Monday night.
"F--king sick and tired of being babied," he wrote.
"I promised the city the playoffs and I'm not on the court, and I may not be on Thursday, either," he later told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "I wish more than anything that I was out there. I just want the green light to play."
Embiid averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks across 63 regular-season appearances before the injury. He earned his first All-Star Game selection and ranked 13th in the NBA in real plus-minus, per ESPN.com.
The 76ers split the first two games with the Heat without him. The series shifts to American Airlines Arena in Miami for Games 3 and 4. Thursday's clash is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip on TNT.
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