CHICAGO (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embid left Wednesday night’s 116-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls with slight oppression in the right calf.
Embiid, one of the favorites for the NBA MVP award, finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in just over 16 minutes of playing time. The 7-foot center said the move was preemptive.
“As I always say, it’s all about the playoffs, trying to make sure we get there healthy,” he said. “We’ll just see how it goes in the next few days.”
Embiid, 29, said he first felt a strain in his calf during Monday night’s double-overtime loss to the Bulls. Then he felt it again in the first half Wednesday in Chicago.
Philadelphia (49-23) visits Golden State Friday night for its next game. Embiid said he could probably play against the Warriors, but isn’t sure how the injury would react.
“If it feels good, of course I want to play,” he said. “But if it’s not right, then we’ll figure it out.”
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers called Embiid’s injury “very mild.”
“We just felt like (keeping him out) was the right thing to do,” Rivers said.
Star goaltender James Harden and forward Jalen McDaniels missed Wednesday night’s win due to injuries. Harden was sidelined with left Achilles pain and McDaniels was ruled out with right hip pain.
Harden played nearly 47 minutes in Monday night’s loss to the Bulls, finishing with five points on 2-for-14 shooting and 12 assists. He’s averaging 21.4 points and an NBA-record 10.8 assists in 53 games this season.
Rivers said he thinks Harden could play against Golden State.
“We came into the playoffs two years in a row with injuries,” Rivers said. “We all know you don’t win the playoffs if your key players aren’t healthy. Period. And so we’re going to do everything we can to be healthy.