PHILADELPHIA (SportsRadio 94WIP) -- Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid has cleared concussion protocol, and he is doing everything he can to play in Game 3 against the Miami Heat on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.
The 28-year-old MVP candidate missed the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals series with an orbital fracture and a concussion after taking an elbow to the face from Pascal Siakam in the Sixers' Game 6 elimination win over the Toronto Raptors. He also suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb during the Raptors series.
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Heat leader and former Sixer Jimmy Butler called Embiid the MVP after Wednesday's game, saying he hopes the big man can return.
The Sixers, to no surprise, have struggled mightily without Embiid in the first two games of the series losing 106-92 and 119-103 in Games 1 and 2, respectively.
In the two losses, the Sixers have shot a combined 14-64 (21.8%) from three point range and have been outrebounded 91-71.
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Doc Rivers has started DeAndre Jordan at center in both games as Embiid's replacement, which has been a controversial decision, as Jordan has struggled.
Heat center Bam Adebayo has scored a combined 47 points while shooting 15-21 from the floor in the first two games of the series.
Ironically, Embiid suffered an orbital fracture of his left eye at the end of the 2018 regular season, forcing him to miss the first two games of the playoffs against the Miami Heat. Embiid returned for Game 3 with a mask, scoring 23 points in a win.