The Sixers lost to the Celtics last night 120-105. They cut Boston's lead to just four with 9:20 to go in the fourth quarter after trailing by 15, but couldn't keep up with the C's, who ran away with things as the final quarter progressed.
While the Sixers continue to try and find some positives as their season winds down, two of their big men are taking steps with their respective injuries. Jahlil Okafor will have surgery to repair his meniscus tear this week and Joel Embiid has returned to Qatar to continue rehab on his foot.
Okafor has been out of commission since March 20th with some right knee issues and it was later revealed, as he tried to return, that there was a small tear of his meniscus in his right leg that would end his season. The rookie center out of Duke finished the season averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers. He's down in Florida and will undergo surgery on Tuesday, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid is back in Qatar for another rehab stint at the Aspetar facility. Camerato spoke with Brett Brown about Embiid's return trip to the facility there and the head coach stated that Embiid did not suffer a setback and that a second trip there was always an option for the team.
“The place is very enclosed,” Brown said prior to the game against the visiting Boston Celtics. “It’s one-stop shopping with everything just tight. You can imagine a tight dormitory, a tight facility that has all the resources you could ever ask for in a very private setting, no distractions. We liked it so much we went back.”
When asked if Embiid is moving forward, Brown replied, “Absolutely, no doubt.” Brown included body weight, sleep, body mass assessment and healing as some of the positive results the team saw from Embiid’s first visit. [CSNPhilly.com]
The Sixers are back in action tonight at 7PM against the Pacers.
