76ers announced expected Joel Embiid decision for Game 1 vs. Celtics

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76ers announced expected Joel Embiid decision for Game 1 vs. Celtics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It remains to be seen when, and if, Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid will be able to return to game action after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

But, we know that his return won't come in Game 1 of Philadelphia's first-round series against the Boston Celtics.

Nick Nurse confirms that Joel Embiid won't play in Game 1 vs. Celtics​

Nick Nurse confirmed as much during a practice session leading up to the series opener.

"I'm preparing for Sunday's game, and I know he's not playing in that one," Nurse said of Embiid. "So, that's all. We're just like zeroed in on trying to see can we go in there and get ready to battle and fight and execute as best we can?

"And then we'll start figuring—anything that changes, you know, the series becomes a series. Anything that changes starts probably right in the middle of that game, and then we take it from there."

As a team, the Sixers should probably just embrace the idea that Embiid won't be coming back, and then if he does, it will be a pleasant surprise. At this point, no timeline for a return for Embiid has been provided by the organization.

Even though he didn't play in Philadelphia's Play-In victory over the Orlando Magic, Embiid still found a way to give the team a boost by simply being there with his teammates. Perhaps he'll be able to have a similar impact in the first game against Boston.

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