Joel Embiid will start Game 3

The Joel Embiid question got answered before tipoff on Friday night. He started Game 3 for Philadelphia after missing Game 2 with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness. But the real story is that his return did not change the series. New York beat the 76ers 108-94 anyway, and now the Knicks are up 3-0 with a sweep on the table. ### Did Embiid actually start? Yes. That part is settled. Philadelphia brought Embiid back into the starting lineup for Game 3 after he had been listed as questionable a day earlier, and he was on the floor from the opening tip in a game the Sixers badly needed. (inquirer.com) ### So why doesn’t this feel like good news? Because the return was supposed to stabilize the series, and it didn’t. The Knicks still won by 14 on the road, which means Philadelphia is now one loss from elimination even after getting its best player back. That flips the story from “can Embiid play?” to “can the Sixers survive at all?” (inquirer.com) ### What did New York do without OG Anunoby? Basically, it proved this thing is bigger than one missing starter. Anunoby was ruled out with a strained right hamstring and is considered day-to-day, but New York still had enough shot creation and defensive control to handle Philly. That matters because the Knicks did not need a perfect roster to take command of the series. (inquirer.com) ### Who swung Game 3? Jalen Brunson did, again. He finished with 33 points and nine assists, and Mikal Bridges added major scoring support as New York kept dictating the terms of the game. The Knicks have now won six straight playoff games, which tells you this is not some one-off steal in a hostile building. (nba.com) ### Why is 3-0 such a big deal? Because in NBA history, a 3-0 series lead is basically the lockbox score. Teams just do not come back from it. So even if Embiid is available again in Game 4, the margin for error is gone — one bad quarter, one cold stretch, one minutes restriction, and the season is over. (aol.com) ### What about Embiid’s workload? That is still the catch. He came back while managing an ankle sprain and hip soreness, which means availability and full-strength dominance are not the same thing. Philadelphia needs Embiid on the floor, but it also needs him to hold up physically in a series that has suddenly become urgent every single possession. (aol.com) ### What changes for Game 4? The pressure shifts almost entirely onto Philadelphia. The Sixers are no longer trying to “swing” the series — they are trying to extend it by one game on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. New York, meanwhile, can be patient with Anunoby because the scoreboard already gave it breathing room. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Bottom line? Embiid starting Game 3 was real news before the game. After the game, it became secondary. The Knicks won without Anunoby, took a 3-0 lead, and turned this from an injury-watch story into a survival story for the 76ers. (inquirer.com) (nba.com)