The Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the league's injury reporting rules after Joel Embiid's return to the court. (More NBA News)
Embiid spent over two months on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury during a game against the Golden State Warriors at the end of January, undergoing surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee.
The reigning NBA MVP, who was in outstanding form before sustaining the injury, sat out 29 straight games before returning to help the Sixers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-105 on Tuesday.
Embiid had 24 points in his first game back then added 29 on his latest outing on Thursday as the Sixers beat the Miami Heat by the same scoreline.
Advertisement
However, Philadelphia have fallen foul of the NBA's injury reporting rules after initially saying Embiid would not face the Thunder.
Embiid was listed as being out of that game for 24 hours before he was suddenly upgraded to questionable just one hour and 15 minutes before he was named in the Sixers' starting lineup.
In a statement issued on Friday, the league said: "The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Joel Embiid prior to their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.
"Embiid was listed as 'out' in Philadelphia's initial injury report and subsequently played in the game. The fine takes into account the 76ers' prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules."
Advertisement
Embiid is expected to be rested for one of the Sixers' two road games this weekend, as they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Having won three straight games, the Sixers now sit just one game behind the sixth-placed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings and have a chance of avoiding the Play-In Tournament.
