Joel Embiid’s Orbital Bone Might Be Messed Up [UPDATE: He Needs Surgery]

The Sixers are on a long winning streak; Joel Embiid has been a star all season; Ben Simmons is playing great; and Markelle Fultz is back in the lineup after missing 68 games. Of course, this means something bad has to happen.

In just his second game back, Fultz ran into Embiid’s face in the second quarter of the team’s win over the Knicks Wednesday night. Embiid left the game and didn’t return. He passed initial concussion tests but was sent to the hospital and stayed overnight.

Embiid was released from the hospital today, but he won’t travel with the Sixers on their two-game road trip that begins tomorrow. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey has more on the center’s gross injury:

Joel Embiid will be sidelined for at least the 76ers’ next two games because of what the team is calling a facial contusion. However, Embiid might have suffered a fracture to the orbital bone of his left eye, sources said Thursday, adding his eye looked kind of caved.

If you need a list of scary effects of orbital bone fractures, you can read them here. Hopefully Embiid will return to the court with a cool-looking mask soon.

[ Philadelphia Inquirer]

Update (8:06 p.m. ET): There’s news, and it’s not great: