76ers' Joel Embiid 'probable' for opening match against Knicks

76ers' Joel Embiid 'probable' for opening match against Knicks originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Philadelphia 76ers are set to have quite the short turnaround following their game seven triumph over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, as they’ll have to take to the court for game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Monday night.

It’ll be an important factor to consider, given the physical and close nature of their 109-100 victory, with all their bigger-name players logging heavy minutes. Tyrese Maxey led the team with 45 minutes and 15 seconds of game time, while VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, and Joel Embiid all followed suit with more than 39 minutes of minutes played. This would pave the way for some of the flashier scorelines, whether it was Maxey’s 30 points or Embiid’s 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, which would be the driving force for Philadelphia’s victory.

Embiid’s initial injury status for Monday’s match But it appears that there lies a possibility that Embiid won’t take to the court on Monday night, as he has been downgraded to “probable” due to a right hip contusion, according to the Sixers' injury report . The good news for the Philadelphia faithful is that it isn’t pertaining to either his stitches or his knee, which took a hard knock towards the end of Saturday night’s match, with the Cameroonian limping at one point. It’s also worth noting that Embiid has been listed as probable for the last two games in which he appeared during the series against the Celtics.

Game one between the Sixers and Knicks is on Monday night, with tip-off slated for 8:00 p. m. EST.