Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer, Getty Images/AFP
LOS ANGELES -- The Philadelphia 76ers' hopes of scoring a series-leveling victory in their NBA Eastern Conference semi-final series with the New York Knicks were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday after Joel Embiid was ruled out with injury.
Embiid, a key figure in the Sixers' upset of the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the previous round, is suffering from right hip soreness and a right ankle sprain.
The news comes just hours ahead of Philadelphia's game two against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden later Wednesday.
The Knicks dominated game one of the best-of-seven series on Monday with an emphatic 137-98 win. Embiid finished with 14 points before being replaced midway through the third quarter.
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Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy in early April but returned for the final four games of the series against the Celtics, averaging 28 points as the Sixers recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win.