Embiid: 'I probably need to fix' knee to reach former levels

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid believes he needs to take care of his knee to return to his MVP form.

"The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I'm playing right now," Embiid said after Thursday's 124-104 loss to the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "It sucks. ... I probably need to fix the problem, and then I'll be back at that level. But it's hard to have trust when you're not yourself."

He added that the All-Star break helped "a little bit" to rest his knee.

"I'm OK," he said. "Still managing it. Got to keep going and hope for the best."

Embiid recorded 15 points on 3-of-9 shooting, along with four assists and three rebounds. He was a minus-20 in 27 minutes of action - no Sixers starter recorded a better plus-minus than minus-15.

The 30-year-old has played 18 games this season, averaging 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. He's suited up for at least three consecutive contests on three occasions this campaign.

"I'm not as dominant as I was a couple of months ago, but that doesn't mean I still can't have a lot of impact on the game," Embiid said. "Just me being out there, I think, helps a lot. My presence, my ability to attract double-teams, get guys more shots."

The Sixers rank 11th in the East with a 20-35 record, 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last play-in tournament spot in the conference. They take on the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.