Connect with us

Sports

76ers star Joel Embiid down 30 pounds: ‘All about’ playoff health

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers-Media DaySep 30, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) poses for a photo on media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Joel Embiid has an NBA Most Valuable Player award and five All-NBA selections to his name. What he doesn’t have is a healthy run in the playoffs this decade.

The Philadelphia 76ers are expecting a leaner, meaner Embiid in 2024-25 after the center said at Monday’s preseason media day that he has dropped 25 to 30 pounds this offseason and isn’t satisfied yet.

“This year is all about, there’s no agenda, there’s no All-Star, there’s no All-NBA,” Embiid said. “There’s none of that. There is whatever it takes to make sure that I get to that point where I’m ready to go. Because basically every single year in my career I’ve been hurt in the playoffs. So I think that’s the goal.”

Embiid, 30, played in just 39 games in the 2023-24 regular season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee. He was back in time for the playoffs but wasn’t 100 percent as the 76ers dropped their first-round series against the New York Knicks.

He had an LCL sprain in 2023, a facial fracture and broken thumb in 2022 and a meniscus tear in his right knee in 2021.

Embiid, who was listed at 280 pounds at the end of last season, sees a slimmer build as a path to better luck with his health.

“I’ve still got a ways to go,” Embiid said. “Still want to lose more, but it’s a process. (President of basketball operations Daryl Morey) would tell you this: As soon as we lost last year, I texted him and I was like, ‘We’ve got to do whatever it takes to make sure that, in the postseason, I’m healthy.'”

Morey, for his part, coordinated the Sixers’ signing of star free agent forward Paul George to join Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in the franchise’s push toward a title. Philadelphia hasn’t gotten past the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

“We’re going to be really smart about this,” Morey said of managing Embiid’s health. “We’re focused on April, May, June. It doesn’t mean that the team right now isn’t important as well, but we’re going to be very smart about how we manage him through the season. There’s going to be a lot of information as we learn about how everything’s working with the entire roster.

“But with Joel specifically … we actually have quite a few guys who we think we need to (be) smart about how we manage them through the season while still maintaining a high level of play, and keep the eye on the prize as we do that.”

Embiid averaged career highs of 34.7 points and 5.6 assists plus 11.0 rebounds per game in limited action last year. He’s less than two years removed from winning MVP honors after he put up 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game in 2022-23.

Embiid has averaged 27.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 433 games (all starts) since Philadelphia drafted him third overall in 2014.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Cardinals stave off Dodgers’ rally for 6th straight win

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis CardinalsMay 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Jordan Walker slugged a two-run homer among his two hits and Michael McGreevy tossed six scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.

McGreevy (2-2) allowed three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Ryne Stanek and lefty JoJo Romero each pitched a scoreless inning before the Dodgers scored two runs on four straight hits against righty Riley O’Brien in the ninth.

O’Brien recorded two quick outs before giving up back-to-back infield singles to Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez. Max Muncy and Andy Pages followed with RBI singles before O’Brien struck out pinch hitter Dalton Rushing for his ninth save.

Los Angeles lost its fourth straight game and has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last 11 games.

St. Louis took a 3-0 lead on four hits in the third inning. Ivan Herrera hit a leadoff double against Roki Sasaki (1-3) and scored on Alec Burleson’s double to right field.

Walker followed with a two-run blast to left field. The 372-foot shot was Walker’s 10th homer of the season and second in his last three games.

The Dodgers had plenty of early traffic on the basepaths against McGreevy, but they were held scoreless while hitting into four double plays in the first five innings.

Los Angeles put two runners on with one out in the second inning before Pages struck out and Hyeseong Kim grounded out.

The pattern continued in the third inning, when Alex Freeland hit a leadoff single and second baseman JJ Wetherholt started a double play with a diving catch on Shohei Ohtani’s liner.

Sasaki gave up three runs on five hits with two walks over six innings. He retired the final 10 batters he faced and threw a career-high 104 pitches.

Stanek replaced right-hander McGreevy to begin the seventh inning and retired two batters before Hernandez singled and Muncy walked. Both were stranded when Pages struck out.

The Dodgers were held without a home run for the fifth straight game and have hit a total of three homers in their past 11 games.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Saba Lobjanidze's brace sparks Atlanta over Montreal

MLS: CF Montreal at Atlanta United FCMay 2, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze (11) reacts to his goal against the CF Montréal in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

Saba Lobjanidze scored a brace and Emmanuel Latte Lath netted the match-winner late in the first half as Atlanta United defeated visiting CF Montreal 3-1 on Saturday evening.

Alexey Miranchuk had two assists while Pedro Amador and Cooper Sanchez added an assist apiece for Atlanta (3-7-1, 10 points), which won its third straight match across all competitions and second straight in MLS play. It also snapped a four-match home winless streak (0-3-1).

Montreal (3-7-0, 9 points) saw a two-match win streak come to an end while its road losing streak reached four. It also finished the match with 10 men after Brayan Vera received a red card in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.

Latte Lath put Atlanta ahead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time thanks to an interception by Sanchez. The Ivorian striker played a ball forward to Miranchuk, then scored on Miranchuk’s return pass to make it 2-1.

Lobjanidze upped Atlanta United’s lead to 3-1 in the 50th minute, scoring off Sanchez’s assist.

Atlanta equalized in the 41st minute with Lobjanidze’s first goal of the year. After receiving a pass from Miranchuk, Lobjanidze’s shot deflected off Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier’s hand and trickled past the goal line, tying the match at 1-1.

Matty Longstaff scored Montreal’s lone goal of the evening in the sixth minute.

Lucas Hoyos finished the evening with four saves. Gillier stopped two Atlanta shots.

Atlanta United won back-to-back MLS regular-season matches for the first time since May 24 and 28, 2025. They have outscored opponents 7-2 during their win streak.

Montreal lost for the first time under interim head coach Phillipe Eullafroy.

Miranchuk has two goals and two assists in his last three matches across all competitions.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading

Sports

Late penalty extends New England's unbeaten streak vs. Charlotte

MLS: Charlotte FC at New England RevolutionMay 2, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) dribbles the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani (28) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Carles Gil’s 97th-minute penalty kick lifted the New England Revolution to a tense 1-0 victory over Charlotte FC Saturday night in Foxborough, Mass.

The Revolution (6-3-1, 19 points) broke through during stoppage time after several minutes marked by defensive gridlock. The win extends the Revs’ unbeaten streak to six league games.

Matt Turner made three saves and kept a clean sheet for the Revolution, who outshot Charlotte (4-5-2, 14 points) 14-7. Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina made three saves.

The Revs faced late drama when Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico was called for a handball in the box in the dying minutes of stoppage time, and the referee failed to call an advantage on the play, which would’ve counted Diego Fagundez’s goal.

However, Gil calmly sent Kahlina the wrong way and scored the ensuing penalty to give the Revs the late winner. The goal is Gil’s third of the season.

Charlotte manager Dean Smith has faced many questions about his team’s misfiring offense, and they remain unanswered. The team’s usually prolific offense struggled to create chances in the final third, and when they did, they failed to convert.

Charlotte’s biggest chance of the first half came when Idan Toklomati received the ball just 16 yards away from the goal with a clear shot. However, Toklomati slammed his shot against the crossbar, leaving the game scoreless in the 37th minute.

The two sides struggled to challenge each other throughout the match, settling for long-range, low-quality shots.

Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha and Revs defender Mamadou Fofana had to be separated by teammates after a brief shouting match and a couple of shoves in the second half. Zaha, who then argued with New England manager Marko Mitrovic, was booked. The yellow card is his sixth in just nine league appearances.

Charlotte nearly found an equalizer in the game’s dying minutes when Morrison Agyemang headed a shot from short range. The shot seemed destined for the upper corner of the net, but Turner deflected the ball to preserve the Revs’ victory.

–Field Level Media

source

Continue Reading