Boston Celtics control Philadelphia 76ers in Joel Embiid’s return

Joel Embiid went back to the court Wednesday night fresh off being called the 2022-23 NBA MVP Though his existence was definitely welcome, he did not seem his normal dominant self, scoring 15 points as the Philadelphia 76ers were burnt out by the Boston Celtics, 121-87, in Video game 2 of their second-round series.

The huge male had actually missed out on the Sixers’ last 2 video games, both wins, due to a best knee sprain. Embiid was cleared to play Wednesday night by physicians and the group’s training personnel following an effective early morning shootaround and follow-up afternoon exercise at Boston’s TD Garden.

However should he have played? Philadelphia finished a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets then won Video game 1 in Boston without Embiid, the latter triumph powered by James Harden, who matched his playoff profession high with 45 points. The 29-year-old Embiid led the NBA in scoring for the 2nd successive year at 33.1 points per video game, however he’s yet to eclipse 30 points in the playoffs (26, 20, 14 then 15 on Wednesday). In the Video game 2 loss to the Celtics, he shot 4-for-9 from the field and took down 3 rebounds. He was 7-for-8 from the totally free toss line. Harden followed up his dazzling Video game 1 efficiency with a loser; he scored 12 points on a ruthless 2-for-14 shooting and stopped working to strike a single 3-pointer (0-for-6).

Should Joel Embiid have played in Video game 2?

Previous 76ers star and TNT expert Charles Barkley was “shocked” Embiid returned into the lineup so right after Philadelphia took home-court benefit with its Video game 1 win. “I would not have actually played him if I was the coach of the company,” Barkley stated on air prior to Wednesday’s video game.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers acknowledged such arguments were “rational.” However he likewise showed that Embiid would likely play if he was cleared and supported that by placing his star center into the beginning lineup.

” Gamers when they are healthy they need to play. When they’re not, they should not play,” Rivers stated. “However we’re not going to risk him for anything.”

If there was a conserving grace to Wednesday’s blowout loss, it’s that Embiid played just 27 minutes. Boston blew the video game open in the 3rd quarter and led 92-65 getting in the 4th. Embiid and Harden did not play the remainder of the video game as the Celtics aligned the series.

” I felt respectable to play and I seemed like I might assist the group,” Embiid stated. “I seem like I simply got this out the method. Dissatisfied by the loss. However that’s an action towards returning to myself.”

Embiid was called this season’s MVP on Tuesday. “It’s been a long period of time coming, a great deal of effort. I have actually been through a lot,” Embiid stated on TNT after his win was revealed, reviewing his exceptional life journey. He got 73 first-place votes to end up ahead of Denver’s Nikola Jokic, whom Embiid completed behind in the MVP race each of the last 2 years, and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won the MVP in 2019 and 2020.

Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt, Cydney Henderson and Associated Press