May 07, (THEWILL) – Joel Embiid, who was an initial doubt to feature for the Philadelphia 76ers, returned from a facial injury, to help his team beat the Miami Heat 99-79 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night.
Teammates Danny Green and Tyrese Maxey, each scored 21 points, but the most encouraging note was that, after missing the first two games of the series, Embiid returned with 18 points and 11 rebounds while wearing a black mask.
The victory means that though the Heat still lead the series, it stands at 2-1 and there is still more to play for. The Heat are still confident in the playoffs, especially with performances like Jimmy Butler’s, who finished the night with 33 points. Game 4 will take place in Philadelphia on Sunday.
As THEWILL reported, Embiid missed the first two games after suffering a right orbital fracture and a slight concussion in the previous round. Understandably, the player was not as dominant as he had been earlier in the season.
Yet, Embiid did not have to carry the Sixers because Green, Maxey, and James Harden, all crushed Heat rallies with big points of their own. But, the 76ers were overjoyed to have him back.
Before the game, coach Doc Rivers admitted: “Any plan where you can have Joel as part of the plan is a much better plan.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
