MIAMI (AP) Joel Embiid remains mired in Philadelphia’s latest process, one he’s found frustrating.
Embiid was still listed as doubtful by the 76ers on Thursday morning, hours before they would face the Miami Heat in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Embiid practiced Wednesday in Miami and was back on the floor Thursday for the team’s game-day shootaround.
”He still remains doubtful,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said before the shootaround. ”He went through stuff yesterday that was decent. He had a little bit of contact, trying to get used to the mask, felt some bodies.”
Embiid has missed Philadelphia’s last 10 games while recovering from a concussion and surgery that repaired a fractural orbital bone around his left eye. He’s no longer in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
He was not made available to reporters at the morning practice. He took some foul-line jumpers, 3-pointers and then a handful of 40-footers during the portion of the 76ers’ time of the floor that was visible to reporters. He was not wearing the mask he’s expected to don in games when he returns.
Embiid, on social media after Philadelphia’s Game 2 loss at home, posted that he is ”sick and tired of being babied.”
Brown said the decision on when Embiid plays will involve several people, not just the coach.
”It’s a collaborative thing with Joel and doctors and me,” Brown said. ”It’s all this stuff that revolves around comfort, and feeling like we’re responsible with his health, those types of things.”
Embiid averaged 22.9 points and 11 rebounds in 63 games this season.
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