Tim BontempsMay 8, 2026, 06:37 PM ET
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PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers got different injury news ahead of Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Friday night, with Knicks forward OG Anunoby being ruled out with a right hamstring strain and 76ers center Joel Embiid returning to the starting lineup.
Embiid, who went from probable to out Wednesday afternoon ahead of Game 2 due to his injuries, participated in shootaround Friday morning with his 76ers teammates.
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said during his pregame media availability that he expected Embiid to give it a go in Game 3, although he said a final determination would be made closer to the 7 p.m. tip.
The Knicks, meanwhile, were mum on Anunoby's status moving forward in the series besides coach Mike Brown ruling him out of Friday's game during his pregame media session. When asked how Anunoby was responding to treatment, what he could do on the court or whether he was running, the Knicks only repeatedly said that Anunoby remains day-to-day.
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The forward is in the middle of the best stretch of basketball of his career, averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in eight postseason games for the Knicks.
Anunoby pulled up late in the fourth quarter of New York's Game 2 victory and was clearly favoring his right leg. He didn't return to the game, and his status is now uncertain for Sunday's Game 4 in Philadelphia.
The 76ers enter Game 3 down 0-2 in the series, after getting routed in Game 1 with Embiid playing at Madison Square Garden before losing narrowly in Game 2 with him sidelined.
Embiid has played five games in these playoffs since returning from an emergency appendectomy back on April 9, a couple of days before the end of the regular season. Embiid is averaging 25.2 points, 8 rebounds and 5.8 assists across those games, including putting up 34 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in Philadelphia's Game 7 victory in Boston Saturday -- the first time Embiid had both won a Game 7 and beaten with the Celtics in a playoff series in his career.
He and the 76ers struggled mightily in New York's emphatic 137-98 victory in Game 1. Embiid had 14 points and shot 3-for-11 from the field in 25 minutes, with Nurse pulling the plug and benching all of his starters midway through the third quarter.
Embiid played 38 games during the regular season, after playing just 19 the year before, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.