Philadelphia 76ers' All-Star center Joel Embiid watched from the sidelines last night as Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat picked up a 113-103 victory at the Wells Fargo Center, tying up the series at 1-1.
Embiid, who hasn't played since suffering a broken orbital bone and concussion on March 28, took to instagram immediately after the loss to express his frustration over not being cleared to play in Monday night's game. "Fucking sick and tired of being babied," read a post on Embiid's IG story.
When asked about his post-game remarks, Embiid told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne: "I promised the city the playoffs and I'm not on the court and I may not be on Thursday either. I wish more than anything that I was out there. I just want the green light to play."
Sixers head coach Brett Brown sympathized with Embiid after being told of the IG post, telling reporters the comments are "born out of him wanting to be with his team."
"He just wants to play basketball. He wants to be with his team. He wants to play in front of the fans, and he wants to see this through," Brown said, according to ESPN. "And when he's not able to do that, he gets frustrated, and we respect his frustration. It's born out of competitiveness, and it's born out of him wanting to be with his team."
Last night's loss to the Heat snapped Philly's 17-game winning streak as the series now shifts to South Beach for Games 3 and 4. ESPN reports that the Sixers are optimistic Embiid will return to the lineup during their trip to Miami, but it's unclear if he'll be ready for Game 3 on Thursday night.
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