April 19, 2026, 7:43 a.m. ET
The Philadelphia 76ers played their way into the 2026 playoffs thanks to a win over the Orlando Magic. They did it without Joel Embiid in the lineup, with maybe some hope that he’d return if they did make it further into the postseason.
So: Will Embiid return to play against the Boston Celtics? The answer for now is: It’s unclear.
You see, Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy earlier this month. Given that the usual recovery timeline for the procedure is around a couple of weeks or so, Embiid was ruled out for the play-in. He’s also been ruled out for Game 1 against the Celtics, with head coach Nick Nurse not specifying when Embiid might return.
The real shame of this Embiid appendectomy situation is just how much of a rhythm he was getting into before he got sidelined. The former 2023 league MVP had scored at least 26 points in four of his last five appearances.
Now, he’ll have to wait and see if his teammates can buy him more time before he’s ready to return.
