Sixers star Joel Embiid exited in the second quarter of last night's win over the Knicks after a collision with Markelle Fultz. The All Star center took a shoulder to the head from his rookie teammate on this play:
Embiid immediately hit the floor as the entire city of Philadelphia held it's breath. The seven footer was then escorted to the locker room and reportedly cleared all concussion tests, though he was diagnosed with a facial contusion according to Sixers insider Jessica Camerato:
However, Embiid has since been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and though X-Rays reportedly revealed no fractures, the 24-year-old didn't seem so positive about the situation.
The former number three overall pick took to Instagram whilst lying in a hospital bed, posting a story captioned 'not good'.
After missing his first two full seasons after being drafted out of Kansas in 2014, and almost 50 further games since, Sixers fans will be hoping Embiid gets back on the court as soon as possible.
Sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 44-30, the Sixers are on the cusp of their first playoff berth since 2012 and they need their star center to make any kind of postseason run.
Embiid is averaging 22.9 points, 11 boards and 1.8 blocks per game in 2018, leading the team in all three categories.
Fultz made his long awaited return this week after missing 68 games this season, and will be keeping his fingers crossed that he hasn't caused the team's most important player a potentially serious injury:
"I know I hit him, but I believe he is OK,'' Fultz said, per ESPN. "My heart dropped. He's a tough guy. All I can do is pray for him.''
Head Coach Brett Brown had no further information in his post game press conference but the rather cryptic message sent out by Embiid suggests the outlook could be bleak.
After missing over 200 games in his short career thus far, neither Embiid nor the Sixers want to see him sitting on the sidelines any more. But, it seems like his awful luck with injuries is continuing.