Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a sinus fracture after being hit in the face while defending the paint in the first half of Friday's loss to the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Embiid will undergo further testing over the weekend, Charania added.
With 11 seconds remaining in the first half of Friday's matchup, Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin inadvertently hit Embiid in the face as he attempted a putback layup on a missed shot by Tyrese Haliburton. Medical personnel attended to the big man before he exited the court.
Embiid has been in and out of the lineup all season mostly due to left knee concerns. He missed the first 10 games of the year: seven due to left knee management and three more because of a suspension after shoving a member of the media in a postgame confrontation.
The big man notably missed all of February and March 2024 after suffering an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. He returned for the tail end of the regular season and the playoffs before suiting up for Team USA in the Summer Olympics.
The 2022-23 NBA MVP returned on Nov. 12 before sitting the next night on a back-to-back. He then played the next three games.
However, Embiid was then ruled out for his team's Friday, Nov. 22 game against the Brooklyn Nets and its Sunday, Nov. 24 matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The team said in a statement that Embiid was managing swelling in his left knee.
"Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee," the statement read. "In consultation with the team's medical staff, Embiid missed tonight's game and will also miss Sunday's game. He is receiving treatments and further updates on his status will be provided early next week."
As he deals with a left knee ailment, Embiid has struggled this season, averaging 22.0 points on 40.7 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in five games. The year before, the big man posted 34.7 points on 52.9 percent shooting, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
If Embiid misses more time, the 76ers can turn to Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond in his absence.