The Philadelphia 76ers are hurting badly without Joel Embiid.
They were taken down easily by the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in a painful 119-103 defeat.
That means that the 76ers are now down 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs and are inching ever closer to elimination.
Philadelphia has fallen into this hole because they are without Embiid, their star player who is recovering from a head injury.
When will they get their big man back?
Bam: “They’re in an 0-2 hole. I do expect him to play.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) May 5, 2022
Following Miami’s victory, Heat star Bam Adebayo had a thought about Embiid returning.
“They’re in a 0-2 hole. I do expect him to play,” Adebayo said.
Fans of the 76ers are hoping this is true because they have never needed Embiid so much.
Missing Joel
The rest of the 76ers team has tried to step up without Embiid but they aren’t having much luck.
On Wednesday night, the biggest performer for the team was Tyrese Maxey, who put up 34 points.
Tobias Harris was good for 21 points while James Harden scored 20, another in a long stream of sub-25 games.
Maxey did quite well in the game but the team just didn’t perform well or work together as a cohesive unit.
They never led in the game and, honestly, the Heat were never at risk.
This series has shown just how vital Embiid is for the team.
That’s no surprise: the big man has averaged 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists a game.
Those are MVP numbers and his absence is proving just how valuable he really is for his squad.
Speculation was that he could come back as soon as Game 3 so it seems increasingly likely that he will be suiting up for the next game.
He will give it all he’s got but will that be enough to turn things around?
NEXT: James Harden States The Obvious Following Game 2 Loss