Is Joel Embiid playing tonight against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of 2021 NBA Playoffs Round 2?
Joel Embiid has inarguably been the best player for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 NBA season and is a finalist for the NBA MVP award along with Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry. Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers will lock horns with the Atlanta Hawks tonight in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, but the Cameroonian big's status is still unclear. Philadelphia 76ers v Miami Heat  Philadelphia 76ers' starting center Joel Embiid is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. He endured a small meniscus tear against the Washington Wizards, and there is a low probability that fans will see him on the court against the Hawks in Game 1. Sources: 76ers Joel Embiid (small meniscus tear) is listed questionable for Game 1 of East semifinals vs. Atlanta on Sunday. Embiid will go through treatment and workout to determine final playing status.  Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2021  Embiid will be assessed before the game, and a final decision will be made on the basis of how he moves during the warm-ups. Doc Rivers certainly wouldn't want to risk his best player health in the long run, as the Philadelphia 76ers have their sights set on the Larry O'Brien championship. Doc Rivers recently expressed optimism over the MVP candidate's participation in the opening game vs the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference:  "He's got to go through his treatment," Rivers said. "As far as when we were doing shooting and stuff like that, he looked great. It's too early [to rule him out]. I don't want to say one way or the other. We'll just find that out." Joel Embiid was injured in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Washington Wizards. The diagnosis revealed that Joel Embiid had a minor meniscus tear. The Sixers ended up losing that game, but took care of business in the very next game, completing a gentleman's sweep. The mastery of Joel Embiid. 1) scans court, recognizes double coming but its too far away, gets up an in-rhythm fadeaway to avoid. 2) very next play: scans court, recognizes imminent double-team defender is now cheating too close to him, the pass, cash. pic.twitter.com/7UW84LGO1U  Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 30, 2021  However, even if Joel Embiid doesn't take the court for the first game, the Philadelphia 76ers certainly possess the personnel to prevail over the Atlanta Hawks. Ben Simmons showed a glimpse of what he can do even without Embiid on the court in Game 5 against the Wizards, ending the match with a stellar stat line of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Power forward Tobias Harris looked formidable against the Wizards as well, averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds on a respectable 38% shooting from the deep. Even in Joel Embiid's absence, the Philadelphia 76ers defense is likely to be effective on the night. However, Simmons and Harris will have to shoulder the offensive load in case the dominant big doesn't play. Dear reader, please help us improve our NBA/basketball coverage by taking a quick, 30-second survey. Click here! We take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers star's contract details  Edited by Parimal Dagdee