The Philadelphia 76ers were fined $50,000 by the NBA on Saturday over issues with how the team reported the status of star Joel Embiid ahead of his injury return on Friday.
The Cameroonian center missed the first two games of the Sixers’ second round Eastern Conference playoff series against top seed Miami after suffering a concussion and fractured right orbital bone in a series-clinching victory over Toronto.
On Friday, Embiid was cleared of NBA concussion safety protocols and took part in a shooting workout with the club, then was improved from out for Friday’s game three to doubtful.
Embiid, the NBA regular-season scoring champion and a finalist for NBA Most Valuable Player, had yet to be cleared for playing with a safety mask to protect his facial injuries.
But Embiid played with a mask in game three and scored 18 points while grabbing 11 rebounds to help the 76ers beat visiting Miami 99-79 on Friday, lifting Philadelphia within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with game four on Sunday.
The NBA issued the fine for the 76ers violating league injury reporting rules by failing to disclose Embiid’s status “in an accurate and timely manner prior to game three.”