Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard have both been ruled out for their respective Game 4 matchups in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the teams announced Friday.
Leonard, 31, is set to miss his second consecutive contest with a right knee sprain. Clippers lost Game 3 to the Phoenix Suns to trail 1-2 in the series ahead of Saturday's battle.
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The injury, unrelated to the ACL injury that kept Leonard out of the 2021-22 NBA season, occurred in Game 1 and he played through it in Game 2 before it worsened.
Leonard will now miss both home games at Crypto.com Arena and hope to make a return when the series moves back to Phoenix.
His injury is one of multiple examples across the league, with various superstars suffering setbacks, including Embiid.
Joel Embiid must stop flopping
The 29-year-old big man, who stands at 6-foot-10 and weighs 280 pounds, will also miss Game 4 with a sprained right knee.
Embiid received his fair share of criticism following the announcement due to the multiple times he flopped to the ground.
His critics claim that the league is in a bad place if the MVP is pulling off these antics during the postseason.
Sixers lead the Brooklyn Nets 3-0 ahead of Saturday's game at Barclay's Center and James Harden will likely need to step up in Embiid's absence.
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