Sixers injury report: Joel Embiid doubtful for Game 3 against Celtics

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Sixers injury report: Joel Embiid doubtful for Game 3 against Celtics

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Thu, Apr 23, 2026 ·

2 min read

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76ers big man Joel Embiid is officially doubtful for Game 3 against the Celtics , set for 7 p.m. Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Considering he’s been an automatic out for the past few weeks recovering from an appendectomy procedure, the upgrade to doubtful is still significant for the rest of the series.

There was notable Embiid news earlier Thursday following the Sixers’ practice. Embiid participated in parts of practice, via the 76ers , coming off his appendectomy issue. Game 4 of the series is at 7 p.m. Sunday in Philadelphia , so there could be a chance Embiid returns that night.

“Obviously, we’re really hopeful and I think he’s really hopeful,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters Thursday . “He wants to play and we want him to play. I don’t know how close we are to that at this point, but I think there’s some progress being made. Let’s hope that it keeps going that way.”

Embiid hasn’t played in a game since April 6 after undergoing an appendectomy procedure April 9. Embiid returning to the court at least in some form is a positive, though it sounds like the Sixers didn’t do anything strenuous for practice Thursday. It’s still unclear if Embiid will play at any point in this first-round series.

The Sixers were blown out in Game 1 against the Celtics , but they bounced back for a double-digit Game 2 victory at TD Garden. The series, tied at 1-1, now shifts to Philadelphia for the next two games, though the Celtics are still heavy favorites.

Embiid returning would give the Sixers a massive boost, but availability has been the main question mark throughout the big man’s career. Embiid played an All-Star level when available this past season, averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his 38 games played. But it looks like an Embiid return is at least a possibility.

“We didn’t do a whole lot out here on the court,” Nurse said. “It’s been a double long film session and we went through some this-kind-of-year stuff. We went through a few things we think are bothering us. Make a couple suggestions about ways we want to cover things. So it was pretty extensive kind of walkthrough type — it’s a little bit more than a walkthrough but not much more.”

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