Joel Embiid was forced to watch on as Tyrese Maxey and the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers fell into a 0-1 hole after suffering a 123-91 Game 1 loss to Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Now, the 76ers will turn their attention to Tuesday's matchup, remaining in Boston for Game 2.
Brown led the Celtics to a Game 1 win after posting a team-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jayson Tatum, in his first playoff game since tearing his Achilles last year, was dominant as well, adding 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 11 rebounds and seven assists. But what really hurt the 76ers in Game 1 was their 3-point shooting, as they made just 4-of-23 attempts.
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When available, Embiid has been a constant threat for Philadelphia this season. But over the last three years, the center has not been able to reach 40 regular-season games due to numerous injuries. In 38 games this year, Embiid is averaging 26.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Embiid hasn't seen any action since April 6, after he was diagnosed with Appendicitis. The Cameroon star underwent an emergency Appendectomy on April 9 and has been out since, forcing him to miss the play-in win over the Orlando Magic and Game 1 against Boston.
And while Embiid is expected to be out a little longer as Philadelphia attempts to tie the series, the 76ers did have a positive update on their center, revealing that Embiid has begun his strength and conditioning program following surgery.
"Sixers say Joel Embiid has started his strength and conditioning program post-appendectomy," NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick wrote on X.
The 76ers will take on the Celtics in Game 2 on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
