Is Joel Embiid playing tonight against Miami Heat? Latest on reigning NBA MVP's status (April 4)

Joel Embiid is available to play afyer being listed questionable to play Thursday's game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. He returned Tuesday against the OKC Thunder for the first time since Jan. 30. He had a decent rhythm offensively, tallying 24 points and seven assists in the 109-105 win.

Embiid is still finding his legs after missing over two months of action. That was evident on the defensive end against the Thunder. However, he did better than expected, so the hope is that he will play against the Heat, too.

Philly is taking precautions with his recovery, so it wuldn't have been a surprise if was downgraded to out before tipoff.

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What happened to Joel Embiid?

Embiid dealt with a left knee meniscus injury, which needed surgery. He was dealing with a knee problem for weeks before aggravating the injury against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 30. Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid's injured knee late in the fourth quarter, leading to the reigning NBA MVP's long-term absence.

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Joel Embiid Stats vs. Miami Heat

Joel Embiid has averaged 23.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists against the Miami Heat in 17 outings, winning seven. His best outing against the Heat was on Jan. 12, 2021, in a 137-134 OT as Embiid tallied 45 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals, shooting 69.6%.

Embiid hasn't played against the Heat this season. The 76ers have managed a 1-2 record in his absence against their conference rivals. The 76ers will hope that Embiid's presence elevates their chances of tying the season series.

The Heat will be nearly at full strength, with Tyler Herro as the only major absentee. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier are healthy. Miami will have the edge in that regard, as the 76ers have Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris joining Joel Embiid on the injury report as questionable.

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NBA could investigate 76ers for Joel Embiid's injury status change

Embiid was ruled out as per the Philadelphia 76ers' injury report before his status changed from questionable to available in a short span before Tuesday's game against the OKC Thunder. The complicated nature of how the Sixers handled the reporting of Embiid's availability seems to have landed them in trouble.

TNT reported that the NBA will investigate the 76ers' handling of Embiid's status for the game. It would be the second time that the Sixers are under scrutiny for it after a similar violation in January when Embiid was ruled out in the last minute against the Denver Nuggets.

The NBA issued a $75,000 fine for the Sixers.