The 76ers paid the price on the court for injuries to their biggest stars in two losses, against the Nuggets and Trail Blazers.
Now it’s hitting their pockets.
The NBA announced Thursday that Philadelphia has been fined $75,000 for failing to “accurately and timely” list Joel Embiid on the 76ers’ injury report ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nuggets. .
“This fine is in recognition of Philadelphia’s history of issuing fines for violating injury reporting rules,” the league’s statement said. “The league’s review concluded that Embiid’s absence was due to a confirmed injury and did not violate the player participation policy.”
The 2022-23 season MVP injured his left knee last Thursday against the Pacers, two days before the game against the Nuggets.
He was not listed on Friday’s injury report ahead of the big game against defending champion and star player Nikola Jokic.
but, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski During pregame warm-ups, Philadelphia medical staff reported that Embiid, a six-time All-Star with Denver, had noticed something concerning during warm-ups and was ruled out.
Embiid has struggled so far this season, averaging a career-high and league-best 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
However, his injury troubles could put his MVP eligibility in jeopardy, as he has only appeared in 34 of the 76ers’ 46 games and has 36 games left in the regular season.
The NBA requires award candidates to play at least 65 games, so Embiid can only miss five more games.
He missed Thursday’s game against the Jazz, but was injured again in Tuesday night’s 119-107 loss to the Warriors.
