Joel Embiid exits Sixers’ NBA defeat by Pacers early after blow to face

LOS ANGELES – Joel Embiid’s tough season took another turn for the worse on Dec 13, as the Philadelphia 76ers star centre left the court early after being struck in the face during his side’s 121-107 National Basketball Association (NBA) loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The Cameroon-born big man, who won gold with the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was fighting for a rebound under the Pacers’ basket when he was inadvertently elbowed by Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin at the Wells Fargo Centre.

The NBA Most Valuable Player in 2023 had 12 points with four rebounds and five assists before departing moments ahead of half-time, and the Sixers said after the game he had been diagnosed with a sinus fracture and would be evaluated further.

The 30-year-old was playing his second game back after missing seven contests. He has played just six games this season as he battled a troublesome left knee and served a three-game suspension for an altercation with a journalist.

The Pacers (11-15), fuelled by 32 points and 11 assists from Tyrese Haliburton, led most of the way. Pascal Siakam added 23 points and eight rebounds, and Obi Toppin chipped in 20 points off the bench.

Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points to lead Philadelphia (7-16), who also saw rookie Jared McCain take a scary hit to the back of the head. McCain needed help from teammate Paul George, who added 15 points, to get to the free-throw line before briefly exiting. But he cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game.

Embiid, Maxey and George – billed as Philadelphia’s big three after George’s off-season arrival – have played parts of only three games together.

“You just have to move on and practise when we practise again and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey.

“What sucks about this is that we were moving in the right direction. Guys were figuring out roles, what coach wants from them and playing the right way.

“We know how to play with Joel – and now, we may have to revert our minds back to playing without him. That’s okay. It’s different. That’s how life is.”

The league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from a loss to the Miami Heat with a 115-105 victory over the Washington Wizards, who suffered their 18th defeat in 19 games.

Darius Garland scored 24 points and Jarrett Allen added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who improved to 22-4 to bolster their lead over reigning champions Boston Celtics (20-5) atop the Eastern Conference.

Washington (3-20), led by 27 points from forward Bilal Coulibaly, kept it close and led by three early in the third quarter.

Cleveland connected on just 39.6 per cent of their shots from the field, but they outshot Washington 28-9 from the free-throw line and parlayed 18 Wizards turnovers into 26 points.

Despite the Cavs’ stellar record, Allen said they need to “keep improving on the little things”.

“I still think we have a long way to go to be the team that we want to be,” he said. AFP