Joel Embiid just can't catch a break, and his latest injury is a crucial blow for the Philadelphia 76ers in their quest for an NBA championship.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Embiid will be out indefinitely with a right orbital fracture and concussion. He appeared to sustain the injuries late in the Sixers' Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors after an elbow from Pascal Siakam on a drive to the basket.
Embiid was already playing with a torn ligament in his right thumb — an injury he also sustained during the first-round series — and it was reported he would need surgery after the season to fully recover.
With Embiid out for the 76ers, they face an uphill battle for the rest of the playoffs. Philly was 10.2 points better per 100 possessions with Embiid on the floor in the first round, per NBA Advanced Stats.
They are scheduled to play the Miami Heat in Round 2 on Monday and were around +140 underdogs in the series. After the Embiid news, FanDuel has the Sixers listed at +390, or 20% implied odds to win the series. For Game 1, the 76ers were 4.5-point underdogs, but moved to 8.5-point dogs on Friday night.
According to John Ewing of BetMGM, the sportsbook moved the 76ers' NBA title odds for 14-1 pre-injury to 18-1 after the injury.
