An MRI on Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid confirmed a torn ligament in his right thumb on Sunday, head coach Doc Rivers said (h/t Tim Bontemps, ESPN).
Embiid initially suffered the injury during the first half of Game 3 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Toronto Raptors where it was initially diagnosed as a sprain — though the threat of a ligament tear was always there.
Regardless of the extent of the injury, Embiid made it clear that he was going to play throughout the playoff series.
“I want to play, so obviously got to listen to what they have to say,” Embiid said following Saturday’s Game 4 loss to the Raptors to spoil any chance of a Philadelphia sweep. “So, I would imagine that I keep playing and probably do something after the season.”
Despite the injury, the center has still been playing up to the MVP caliber he showed throughout the regular season. Over the first four games of the series, he averaged 26 points and 11.8 rebounds.
The 76ers have an opportunity to close out the Raptors and move onto the second round of the NBA playoffs in Game 5 on Monday in Philadelphia (8 p.m. ET).
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