What happened
The Philadelphia 76ers will be without Joel Embiid for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup against the New York Knicks tonight, ESPN's Shams Charania reported. Embiid is sidelined due to ankle and hip injuries after being unable to participate in the team's shootaround earlier in the day. The Sixers trail the series 1-0 following a Game 1 blowout loss in New York.
Why it matters
Losing Embiid for a must-win road game compounds an already grim outlook for Philadelphia, which suffered the largest home playoff defeat in Knicks Falling behind 0-2 in a best-of-seven on the road would put the Sixers in a historically difficult hole. Embiid's availability for the rest of the series is now the central question for a Philadelphia team that just snapped a 44-year second-round drought by beating Boston in seven games.
What to watch
Watch for an updated injury designation ahead of Game 3 in Philadelphia and any postgame indication of whether Embiid's absence is multi-game. Tyrese Maxey's usage and the Sixers' interior defense without their MVP will be the immediate Game 2 storylines.