Embiid, who is facing the league's investigation for "running away", has just returned and is injured again, and his MVP is also hanging
On January 31, Beijing time, the 76ers led by Embiid lost to the Warriors 107-119 away, so far the 76ers have suffered four consecutive defeats and have now slipped to fifth in the East, while the Warriors have stopped the decline of two consecutive defeats, but they are still only ranked 12th in the West, and it is still difficult to break into the playoffs. Compared with the performance of the two teams, this game is more concerned about Embiid, the favorite for this season's regular season MVP, after he was investigated by the league for "running away" in the game against the Nuggets, and he is also facing a lot of pressure, many fans speculate that this is one of the reasons why Embiid has to play with an injury in this game, but he was injured again in the game......
Embiid looked pained after the injury
He was pressed by Kuming until he injured his leg and then retreated
Embiid, who has missed two consecutive games due to a knee injury, has finally returned to this game, but Embiid has obviously not found his senses. Embiid only played 9 minutes in the first quarter, and he returned to the locker room at the end of the first quarter, and when he returned to the sidelines in the second quarter, his left knee was already wrapped in a thick brace, Embiid continued to play in the second quarter, but the feeling has been average, and in the last quarter, Embiid was pressed by Kuming in the scramble to hurt his leg and had no choice but to retire injured.
When Embiid returned to the sidelines in the second quarter, he was already wearing a thick protective gear on his left knee According to Visual China
However, after the game, 76ers coach Nurse said in an interview that the injury that caused Embiid to retire in the fourth quarter had nothing to do with his recent injury. Nurse also said Embiid will undergo an MRI.
He scored only 14 points, a new season low
In this game, 76ers star Embiid played 30 minutes with an injury, shooting 5 of 18, 2 of 6 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and got 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Embiid's 14 points set a new season low, after his previous low was 20. His eight turnovers were a season-high (up from seven). In addition, Embiid's 30+ consecutive games are fixed at 22 games.
In fact, Embiid's performance this season is very strong, he is currently averaging 35.3 points per game, beating Doncic and Alexander, is the player who averages the most points per game in the NBA this season, in addition to 11.3 rebounds per game, ranking sixth, and 1.8 blocks per game, ranking 11th, Embiid is also the first favorite on the official MVP list, ahead of Jokic, Alexander and Antetokounmpo.
This season, Embiid scored a personal high and a 70-point record in the history of the 76ers against the Spurs on January 23, Beijing time, and Embiid's previous career scoring record was 59 points, which was scored in a game against the Jazz on November 14, 2022 Beijing time.
After Embiid got a high score of 70 points, he held up a note with 70 points written on it to take a photo, according to Visual China
Embiid: I'm not going to force myself to play
While Embiid has had a great season and is on track to become the regular season MVP, he is the first star to spark controversy among fans and media this season for missing a game.
On January 28, Beijing time, the 76ers challenged the Nuggets away from home, which was supposed to be a strong conversation between Embiid and Jokic, the two major centers in the NBA, but Embiid "escaped", 15 minutes before the start of the game, Embiid suddenly said that his left knee was uncomfortable, so he entered the injury list. At present, NBA officials have intervened to investigate whether Embiid's move violates the league's rotation policy.
Nuggets coach Malone supports the league investigation: "I believe Embiid is injured, but I want the league to look into the matter, how did he get on the activation list and suddenly miss before the game?" ESPN roster Ramona Shelburne explained on the show: "Embiid himself didn't want to be on the injury list, but when he warmed up before the game, he found that he couldn't jump. ”
Of course, the Nuggets home fans didn't let Embiid go, and they held up "missing person notices" to mock Embiid.
Nuggets fans taunt Embiid with a "missing person notice".
Many Nuggets fans ridiculed Embiid, not only because he competed with Jokic for MVP, but also because of the "escape", many fans who bought tickets to enter the stadium came for Jokic vs. Embiid, but Embiid couldn't play and the fans on the scene missed such a peak matchup.
Embiid wasn't idle on the sidelines, gesturing back to Nuggets fans and booing them even more.
Embiid hit back at Nuggets fans on the sidelines
Embiid had missed 12 games ahead of today's game against the Warriors, and according to league rules, players are required to play at least 20 minutes in each of the 65 regular season games to be considered for MVP, DPOY and All-NBA. That is to say, to participate in the selection of these awards, a player can only miss a maximum of 17 games in a single season, so Embiid only has 5 games left, and now Embiid's injury is aggravated, and it is unknown whether he can play in the next game, and it is also hanging if he wants to defend the regular season MVP.
However, Embiid doesn't seem to care too much about the MVP race, after he said in an interview: "I've already won the MVP, and if I have a chance to get a second one, I'll go for it, but I'm not going to force myself." NBA Register Chris Haynes also said that Embiid would not consider playing with an injury to qualify for the award.
Edited by Cheng Li