76ers Announce Joel Embiid Decision Before Game 4 vs. Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will play in Sunday evening’s Game 4 matchup against the Boston Celtics, returning to the court for the first time since undergoing surgery for appendicitis more than two weeks ago.

Embiid was upgraded from doubtful to questionable on Saturday. And less than an hour before tipoff on Sunday, the 76ers announced that their superstar big man is good to go for Game 4.

“Joel Embiid is AVAILABLE,” the team wrote in a social media post.

Embiid’s return comes at a critical juncture for the 76ers, who are hoping to tie the series at 2-2 before heading back to Boston for Game 5.

The 76ers stole Game 2 at Boston’s TD Garden, mounting a dominant 111-97 upset without Embiid. Philadelphia was lifted to victory by its backcourt as Tyrese Maxey recorded 29 points and nine assists, while rookie guard VJ Edgecombe posted 30 points and 10 rebounds.

The 76ers were unable to hold off the Celtics in Game 3, surrendering a 108-100 final score at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena.

As of yesterday, Embiid’s status was fully up in the air.

“He's on court right now doing individual work,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said on Saturday. “Like I said before, he's working as hard as he can to get back. We just need to see how it goes today and tomorrow morning, and then maybe we'll know more toward the end of shootaround tomorrow.”

Embiid appeared in 38 regular-season games for the 76ers in 2025-26, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. In his final appearance before his appendectomy, he recorded 34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 8:11 PM.