24 hours after the Philadelphia Sixers listed All-Star center Joel Embiid as "Doubtful" for tonight's pivotal Game 3 in Miami, the team has now upgraded his status to "Probable."
Embiid has not played since suffering a broken orbital bone and concussion on March 28, but he's been itching to get back on the court ever since the post-season began, especially after the Miami Heat picked up a 113-103 victory in Game 2 to tie up the series at 1-1.
The 24-year old big man averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 63 games this season and it looks like he's on track to make his first ever playoff appearance tonight against one of his rivals, Hassan Whiteside.
Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat is scheduled to tipoff tonight at 7pm ET. You can catch the action on TNT.
Embiid expressed frustration about not being cleared to play following Game 2, taking to his instagram story to share a message that read, "Fucking sick and tired of being babied." When asked about his post-game remarks, Embiid told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne: "I promised the city the playoffs and I'm not on the court and I may not be on Thursday either. I wish more than anything that I was out there. I just want the green light to play."
Sixers head coach Brett Brown sympathized with Embiid after being told of the IG post, telling reporters the comments are "born out of him wanting to be with his team."
"He just wants to play basketball. He wants to be with his team. He wants to play in front of the fans, and he wants to see this through," Brown said, according to ESPN. "And when he's not able to do that, he gets frustrated, and we respect his frustration. It's born out of competitiveness, and it's born out of him wanting to be with his team."