The Philadelphia 76ers will have their star back in the middle as they look to get on the board in their second-round series against the New York Knicks.
Joel Embiid will be in Philadelphia's lineup for Friday's Game 3 after sitting out a Game 2 loss with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip. The team announced his return before the game.
Andre Drummond started, and Adem Bona backed him up in Game 2. They combined for 15 rebounds, but both were in foul trouble. Drummond took only two shots, and Bona didn't take any.
Embiid struggled through a short night in the Knicks' 137-98 romp in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes before the starters were benched with the game out of reach.
Embiid had been listed as probable to play in that game with a bruised right hip before being cleared, and the Knicks repeatedly took advantage of his lack of mobility to create open shots.
Embiid returned from a late-season appendectomy during Game 4 of Philadelphia's first-round series against Boston and helped the 76ers overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the series.
It's unclear whether the pain around Embiid's hip is related to the appendectomy. He winced and grabbed his abdomen at one point in Game 1 after Knicks guard Mikal Bridges collided with him on a screen in the first half.
Through his five games this post-season, Embiid has averaged 25.2 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 42.4 per cent from the field.
— with files from the Associated Press
