Sixers F/C Embiid out at least a week with sore knee

Joel Embiid's return from the All-Star break is expected to be delayed as the Philadelphia 76ers forward/center is experiencing left knee soreness, the team announced Wednesday. In addition, an MRI on the right knee of guard/forward Furkan Korkmaz revealed a meniscus tear, with a surgical procedure a possibility to repair the injury.

According to Sixers vice president of athlete care Daniel Medina, Embiid will be out of action immediately and will be re-evaluated in one week. An MRI showed no structural damage. The third-year player, who scored 10 points with 12 rebounds in 23 minutes of Sunday's All-Star Game, will undergo a treatment program "involving physical therapy and load management." The team did not disclose when the injury might have taken place.

Philadelphia is scheduled to play at home Thursday against the Miami Heat, followed by a Saturday home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Embiid, who was on the losing Team Giannis in Sunday's All-Star Game, is averaging a career-best 27.3 points per game, with 13.5 rebounds. He is sixth in the NBA in scoring and second in rebounds behind the 15.0 per game from the Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond.

A Kansas product, Embiid was the No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft but missed his first two NBA seasons, primarily because of a right foot injury. His debut season in 2016-17 ended prematurely because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. He missed time last season, including two games at the start of the playoffs, with an orbital fracture of his left eye. Korkmaz has scored 5.8 points per game and grabbed 2.3 rebounds in his second NBA season. The 21-year-old was a first-round draft pick by the Sixers in the 2016 NBA Draft.

--Field Level Media