Head coach Doc Rivers justified his decision to leave star center Joel Embiid on the court late in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers' 132-97 blowout win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6.
With Thursday's game already well out of reach, Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and mild concussion after taking an inadvertent elbow from Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
Rivers insists he was still matching up with the Raptors' lineup but planned to take Embiid out on the ensuing possession.
"The other team had all their guys in too," Rivers told reporters, including USA Today's Tom Moore.
Rivers added, "After Joel made the shot and did the airplane, if you watched the game, I turned and said, 'I'm calling a timeout on the next possession.' So, not upset that he was in, you could make that a big deal if you want."
Embiid will reportedly miss at least five days due to his concussion, which means he'll likely sit for the opening games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat.
Embiid, who is also dealing with ligament damage in his thumb, averaged 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in 39 minutes per game during the six-game series. Philadelphia will have to lean heavily on Paul Reed to fill in at center in Embiid's absence. DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap could potentially factor into the rotation as well.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals tips off in Miami on May 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
