The top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to complete a first-round gentleman's sweep of the Washington Wizards without their MVP finalist.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, star center Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful to play in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center due to right knee soreness. The four-time All-Star suffered the knee injury midway through the first quarter of Game 4 on Monday, when he landed awkwardly underneath the basket after having a shot attempt blocked.
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Sixers executive Scott O'Neil confirmed Wojnarowski's report on Embiid's injury status during Tuesday's edition of The Zach Gelb Show.
"He's doubtful," O'Neil said. "He's a warrior, he wants to play. And so the doctors will do everything they can to make sure that he's making the right decision. Inevitably, we're hoping this is a really long summer, and we're going to need him throughout the summer. So, we'll see [about Game 5], but doubtful is the call... We never make any predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone three days from now. I know he's committed to getting back. He knows his body better than anybody. He's got a great team of doctors around him. So when he's ready, he'll be back.
"In the meantime, it's like 'next man up.' This team is not one man. He happens to be the best player on a really, really good team, and that's never good. You think about taking the best player off any of the teams in the playoffs right now, and that puts pressure on them. But man, do I like this team... So, I think it's next man up. We've got our work cut out for us. Washington's been good. But I think we're going to give them a handful..."
Through the first three games of the series, Embiid was virtually unstoppable. He averaged 29.3 points with seven rebounds in 28 minutes, while shooting 67.4-percent from the field and 54.3-percent from behind the arc.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series will take place on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The entire conversation between O'Neil and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.