Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ruled out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night due to a knee injury.

“He’s out today,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers told reporters before the game against the host Boston Celtics, “and we’ll see moving forward.”

ESPN reported that there is optimism Embiid can return for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Embiid had been listed as doubtful for Monday’s game, with what was widely reported to be a Grade 1 LCL knee sprain.

However, Fox Sports reported Monday afternoon that Embiid actually has a small tear in the right knee that will require a procedure at some point. It comes two days after The Athletic reported the injury is more serious than a Grade 1 sprain.

The Athletic also reported Monday that Embiid underwent a platelet-rich plasma treatment on the knee last week.

Embiid hasn’t practiced since injuring the knee in Game 3 of the previous series against Brooklyn. He did, however, participate in post-practice shooting drills on Sunday. He was also on the floor during Monday morning’s shootaround.

Embiid dealt with knee soreness in Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round series versus the sixth-seeded Nets. He then sat out Game 4, although the third-seeded 76ers were able to complete the sweep of the best-of-seven set with a 96-88 victory on April 22.

Embiid averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three games against the Nets. He led the NBA in scoring during the regular season at 33.1 points per game and is a finalist for MVP honors.

Embiid, 29, played in 66 games during the regular season, two shy of his career high set during the 2021-22 season.

–Field Level Media