Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid returned to action for Friday’s Game 3 against the visiting New York Knicks after sitting out Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second-round series with right hip and right ankle injuries.
Embiid fueled Philadelphia’s first-round comeback over the Boston Celtics after missing the first three games due to an appendectomy on April 9. The 76ers won the final three games of that series with Embiid recording 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Game 7.
Embiid had 14 points in a 137-98 loss to the host Knicks in Game 1 of this series before watching his teammates fall 108-102 in Game 2 on Wednesday as the Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.
Anunoby sustained a right hamstring strain in Game 2 when he had 24 points in 37 minutes. His status for Friday was unclear until New York coach Mike Brown said during his pregame press conference that Anunoby would sit out.
Anunoby has excelled in the postseason with averages of 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting a stellar 61.9% from the field.
