The Philadelphia 76ers will take the floor of Madison Square Garden for the second game of the playoffs to maybe turn the tables on the Knicks. The series opener was a major upset. Meeting for the first time in the postseason since NY swept the Charles Barkley-Maurice Cheeks Sixers squad in 1989, Philly had to admit a 104-11 defeat. To add insult to injury, Jalen Brunson and Co. won the regular season series 3-1 as well. Of course, Joel Embiid was missing from the lineup. But in the one game that they won, the Cameroonian big man was absent for that, too.

As New York is getting ready for the second round against the Sixers at 7:30 PM ET, the injury report has dropped for the latter. And it doesn’t look good for Philadelphia. The usual players, Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery), remain ‘out’. However, amid all the chaos, it seems there’s good news for Joel Embiid! NBA Insider Chris Haynes believes ‘The Process’ will be available for Game 2.

If you remember, he had left mid-game to get his knee checked out after a thunderous slam ended up with him clutching the knee in obvious pain. A spot of blood was also visible.

Yet, there is no argument that the reigning MVP’s presence is absolutely necessary for the team. The Sixers were 31-8 with Embiid on the floor, averaging 120.7 points per game. But in his absence, they went 16-27, while the points dropped drastically to 109.1. That’s a difference of 11.6 points. Numbers that could have made a drastic difference in several matchups.

Given how he is always called out for his absence in the playoffs, the 7-foot center seems to be intent on changing that narrative.

Despite the Game 1 loss, Joel Embiid was crucial against the Knicks

Even with the re-aggravation of the knee injury, Embiid returned to finish the night with 29 points, six assists, and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. Fans felt his performance was subpar, especially with Julius Randle, their defensive star missing. Yet, if we take a closer look, the situation that is right now in shambles might feel a little better.

During his time on the floor, Joel Embiid led his team to outscore the Knicks with 14 points. Then, at the end of the first quarter, we saw him shooting out 15 points on 9 shots, and then he again had a 9-point lead after 12 minutes. But then, in the eleven or so minutes that he was off the floor, New York managed to take the lead, outscoring the Sixers by 21 points. Of course, it’s a no-brainer that his absence did give them an edge over Philly to bring home a. big victory.

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Once he returned from the locker room, things were different. But Embiid still managed to keep the Knicks on their toes, by creating an opening for Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry. Now, while Maxey scored 21 of his total 33 game-high points in the second half, Lowry’s 12 came just in the third quarter alone.

We can certainly hope Joel Embiid would suit up again for the next matchup.