Joel Embiid's sinus fracture "sucks" as the Philadelphia 76ers were "moving in the right direction", according to team-mate Tyrese Maxey. (More Basketball News)
Embiid suffered 🍎the blow early in the second half of the 76ers' 121-107 defeat to the Indiana Pacers, after he was caught by Bennedict Mathurin's stray elbow.
It w🌜as the latest setback in a stop-start season for the center, who has played in just six of his side's 23 ﷽games.
Embiid has been persistently troubled by swelling in his left knee, while he also served a three-match suspension following an al𝓡tercation with a reporter.
While his injur𒁃y will be evaluated this weekend, Maxey acknowledged he and hi🎀s team-mates must learn to cope without the 30-year-old.
"You just have to move on and practice when we practice again, and have a next-man-up mentality," sai𒁏d Max꧑ey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points.
"What sucks about this is that we were moving in༒ the right direction. Guys were figuri♉ng out roles, what the coach wants from them and playing the right way.
"We know ho✃w to play with Joel - and now, we may have to revert our minds to playing without him. That's OK. It's different. That's how life is."
Meanwhile, coach 🌟Nick Nurse empathised with Embiid followinꦰg his latest setback.
"He's been in a re✤ally good place all week, and he practised 🍒all week," he said.
"We did a lot of stuff to get up to speed with him.♒ But I can imagine that he can feel like the black cloud is over him a little bit. He just keeps running into something, really unfor♚tunately."
