Joel Embiid was back on the court Sunday night for Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. The team announced his availability roughly 30 minutes before tip-off, upgrading him from doubtful to active in the final hours before the game. He started alongside Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr., who was also cleared after being listed as questionable with right adductor soreness.
The return came 17 days after Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy on April 9 in Houston. He had not played since April 6. Sunday marked the fourth time in his career that Embiid has returned from injury to join a playoff series already in progress, having done so previously in 2018, 2022, and 2023.
A series Philadelphia cannot afford to lose
The Sixers entered Game 4 trailing 2-1, with Boston taking Game 3 on Philadelphia’s home floor. The series has been competitive despite Embiid’s absence. Philadelphia won Game 2 by double digits, showing it could compete with the Celtics even without its best player. Still, the difference between Embiid and the center rotation that replaced him was significant. Adem Bona started in his place, with Andre Drummond logging heavy minutes alongside him.
How much Embiid would be able to contribute coming off abdominal surgery remained an open question. Conditioning after a procedure of that nature takes time to rebuild, and there was no guarantee he would be able to play his usual load of minutes. What Philadelphia needed, at minimum, was his presence as a scoring threat.
What Embiid brings to the floor
During 38 regular-season games this year, Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. He remains the Sixers’ most capable offensive player and one of the few centers in the NBA who can consistently generate his own shot against any defense. Boston’s defense ranks among the best in the league, making his ability to create mismatches in the post and from the midrange particularly valuable.
Without him, the offensive burden fell almost entirely on Maxey and George. Edgecombe, a rookie, has been asked to contribute in a situation that would challenge a veteran. Adding Embiid back into that mix does not guarantee a different outcome, but it changes what Philadelphia can do on both ends.
The buildup to Sunday
Embiid’s path back to the floor moved gradually through the week. He was a partial participant in practice on Thursday and completed an individual workout at the team’s facility on Saturday. He was present for portions of the shootaround before both Game 3 and Game 4, with coach Nick Nurse confirming his increasing involvement in team activities as the days passed.
He ran through his standard pregame workout on the Xfinity Mobile Arena floor approximately 45 minutes before tip-off, a routine that gave the team enough confidence to make the call official shortly before the game began.
Embiid on Boston’s radar
The Celtics had been tracking his potential return closely. Neemias Queta acknowledged before the game that Embiid’s presence would make Philadelphia considerably harder to handle. Queta described him as one of the best players in the league over the past several years and said Boston would embrace the challenge if he took the floor. That acknowledgment from the opposing side underlined how much weight Embiid’s name carries even before he plays a single minute in a series.
Philadelphia needed this version of the series, the one where Embiid is in the building and in the lineup. Whether two weeks off the court after surgery left him close enough to full capacity to make a difference was the only question left to answer.