Joel Embiid left the Pacers-76ers game with a facial injury and did not return

Joel Embiid has a history of facial injuries, suffering a left orbital fracture in 2018 and a right orbital fracture in 2022.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid left the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the Indiana Pacers just before halftime Friday night after being hit in the face on a defensive rebound.

Embiid was fighting Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin when he caught a fake forearm and elbow to the bridge of his nose. Embiid collapsed to the floor as play continued upstairs, remaining near the Philadelphia bench and clutching his face.

The team ruled him out early in the second half for an “impact to the right side of the face” and said he would undergo further testing. He had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 17 1/2 minutes in the 76ers’ 121-107 loss.

Embiid was playing in just his sixth of the 23 games Philadelphia has played. He suffered from swelling in his left knee and also served a three-game suspension for a physical incident with a reporter.

Embiid has also had a number of facial injuries, including a fractured orbital bone after a collision with Toronto’s Pascal Siakum during the 2022 playoffs and one in 2018 after a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz. Last year, Embiid suffered Bell’s palsy during a first-round playoff loss to New York.