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MRI confirms ligament tear in Sixers star Joel Embiid’s right thumb

It was obvious the MVP finalist was in pain during the Sixers' 110-102 loss in Game 4. He'll have surgery after the season.

Toronto Raptors forward Thaddeus Young defends Sixers center Joel Embiid during game four of the first-round Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday.
Toronto Raptors forward Thaddeus Young defends Sixers center Joel Embiid during game four of the first-round Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

The MRI confirmed what the 76ers knew: Joel Embiid has a ligament tear in his right thumb.

Ligament tears need surgery. That will come after the Sixers have completed their playoff run. But for now, Embiid will continue to play with a brace or heavy tape while battling through the pain.

The star center thinks he injured the thumb when his hand got caught in someone’s jersey during Wednesday’s Game 3 of the Sixers’ opening-round series against the Toronto Raptors. He remained in the game, and scored the game-winning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left.

Embiid donned a brace on his right hand following Wednesday’s game and during Friday’s practice. He had the thumb taped during Saturday’s Game 4. There were several moments when he doubled over in pain and held or shook his hand after bumping it.

» READ MORE: For the Sixers to contend, Joel Embiid must dig deep and find a way to play through pain

But the Sixers had feared that Embiid had suffered a ligament tear after being evaluated in the days leading up to Game 4. At that time, they were unsure if he would get an MRI to confirm the injury. But he received one on Sunday.

He is averaging 26.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 49.3% from the field, including going 4-of-13 on three-pointers.

Embiid, however, wasn’t his normal dominant self on Saturday, perhaps due to the thumb injury.

He missed all five of his shots and had just one point in the first quarter. Embiid went on to finish with 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting to go with eight rebounds, three assists, and five turnovers. He attempted nine foul shots, making seven.

» READ MORE: Best and worst from Sixers-Raptors: Pascal Saikam’s big fourth quarter, James Harden’s shooting woes and more

But he was basically a non-factor as he scored 16 points while making 2 of 3 foul shots and grabbing three rebounds through three quarters.