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Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will undergo a procedure to help cure a left knee injury, and will miss an ‘extended period of time.’
With Embiid out for the considerable future, his chances at a second-straight NBA MVP are now gone, as he’ll miss more than the 17 maximum games allowed to be eligible for postseason awards.
Embiid leads the NBA with 35.3 points per game, and has not played since Tuesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid’s absence from the court being extended was expected, but officially confirmed by ESPN.
The reigning MVP appeared to injure his knee when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga landed on it. After screaming in agony on the court, Embiid did walk to the locker room under his own power.
Embiid has not had a good streak with health this season and may drop out of MVP eligibility
Embiid does average a league-high 35.3 points per game when he is in the 76ers lineup
He had missed Philadelphia’s previous two games with soreness in that same knee, and hasn’t played in the two games since suiting up against Golden State.
Embiid can only miss three more games the rest of the regular season and remain eligible for NBA MVP.
If Embiid does not return to the lineup by the 76ers game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, winning a second consecutive NBA MVP award has zero chance of happening.
Against the Warriors, Embiid scored much lower than his average with 14 points, only making five field goals. He also had seven rebounds, also below his per-game average of 11.3.
If MVP were to fall out of MVP eligibility, more eyes would shift to Luka Doncic, who is already a frontrunner for the award averaging 34.8 points per game this season.
