RealGM Basketball Wiretap

16 April 2024

• NBA Playoffs 2024: Eastern Conference First Round Matchups

  The Eastern Conference seeds are set following the end of regular season on Sunday. The first round begins on Saturday, April 20th.

  First Round Matchups

  • No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 (Sixers, Heat, Bulls or Hawks)

  • No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 (Sixers or Heat)

  • No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers

  • No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic

  Play-In

  • No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat

  • No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks

• Joel Embiid Sits Out Sunday For Precautionary Reasons

  Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid sat out Sunday's regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets for precautionary reasons. Embiid tweaked his previously injured left knee on Friday night.

  The 76ers expect to have Embiid available to play in either the 7-8 game in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament on either Tuesday or Wednesday, or in next weekend's Game 1, if Philadelphia is able to advance to the No. 6 seed.

• Sixers Signing Ricky Council IV To Four-Year, $7.4M Deal

  The Philadelphia 76ers are filling their final open roster with an internal promotion. The Sixers are signing guard Ricky Council to a four-year, $7.4 million contract. Council has been with Philadelphia on a two-way contract. Council will be eligible to play in the postseason for the Sixers.

  Council signed a two-way deal with the 76ers after going undrafted out of Arkansas at the 2023 NBA Draft. He's appeared in 31 NBA games this season and averaged 5.5 points on 48.2% shooting.

  In 27 G League games this season, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and a steal per game. In two G League playoff games for the Delaware Blue Coats, Council averaged 29.5 points.

• Joel Embiid Tweaked Left Knee, To Be Reevaluated Saturday

  Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid left his team's victory over the Orlando Magic towards the end of the first half. Embiid landed awkwardly and seemed to be having issues with his previously injured left knee. He returned for the second half, but seemed to be laboring at different points.

  Sixers head coach Nick Nurse confirmed postgame that Embiid did tweak his left knee, but was cleared to play in the second half. Nurse said Embiid will be reevaluated on Saturday. At that point a decision will be made if the reigning MVP can play in Philadelphia's finale vs the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

  The 76ers can still be anywhere from the No. 5 seed to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Landing at No. 5 or No. 6 would put Philadelphia in the playoffs. Being No. 7 or No. 8 would see the Sixers in the Play-In Tournament.

• Sixers Will Make Paul George 'Top Target' In Offseason

  The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to make Paul George their "top target" during the 2024 offseason if he declines his $48.8 million option with the Los Angeles Clippers.

  George was widely expected to sign a contract extension with the Clippers following the three-year, $152.4 million deal signed by Kawhi Leonard in January.

  The Sixers only have Joel Embiid and Paul Reed under contract next season, while Tyrese Maxey will be a restricted free agent with a small cap hold. The Sixers could create close to $65 million in cap space, which would be more than enough to sign George to his max.

• Sixers Fined $100,000 For Violating Injury Reporting Rules On Joel Embiid's Return

  The NBA announced that the Philadelphia 76ers have been fined $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules.

  The 76ers failed to accurately disclose the game availability status of Joel Embiid prior to their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. Embiid was listed as "Out" in Philadelphia's initial injury report and subsequently played in the game.

  The fine takes into account the 76ers' prior history of fines for violating injury reporting rules.

• Sixers Convert Jeff Dowtin To Standard Contract

  The Philadelphia 76ers have converted guard Jeff Dowtin to a standard contract for the remainder of the season. Dowtin has been playing on a two-way deal with the Sixers since early March.

  Dowtin has appeared in just seven games with Philadelphia since being signed. He has experienced with 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, from their time together with the Toronto Raptors last season.

  Philadelphia had two open roster spots to fill. Dowtin will give the team some additional backcourt depth. The status of De'Anthony Melton is unknown, as he's still dealing with a back injury. Tyrese Maxey has also missed time with various injuries throughout the season.

• NBA Expected To Investigate Joel Embiid Injury Report

  The NBA is expected to investigate Joel Embiid's return to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup on Tuesday night.

  "I've spoken to multiple people inside the NBA league office, and we should expect some sort of investigation into how the Sixers handled the injury report, going from out, out, out, to questionable, to playing in a short span of time.

  "The league office will certainly take note of that," said Jared Greenberg on NBA on TNT.

  Embiid, who returned after eight weeks following a procedure on his knee, finished the game with 24 points and 6 rebounds.

  The Sixers are 27-8 with Embiid in the lineup.

• Joel Embiid Expected To Return This Week

  Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is expected to return to play this week. Embiid's return could come as soon as Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  Embiid has been out since January 30, when he was injured against the Golden State Warriors. After surgery on a torn meniscus, Embiid was given a six-to-eight-week timeline and he's coming back right around the eight-week mark.

  Philadelphia has struggled without the reigning MVP in the lineup. The 76ers are 11-18 in the 29 games Embiid has missed over the last two months. That run has seen the Sixers drop to eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is two games behind the sixth-place Indiana Pacers for the East's final assured playoff spot. Both teams have seven games to play, with the Miami Heat nestled between them in seventh place, with eight games remaining.

• Nick Nurse, Kelly Oubre Jr. Fined For Abusing Refs After Loss To Clippers

  Nick Nurse has been fined $50,000 for aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing game officials, and Kelly Oubre Jr. has been fined $50,000 for verbally abusing and directing an obscene gesture toward game officials.

  The incident occurred at the conclusion of the 76ers' 108-107 loss to the LA Clippers on March 27 at Wells Fargo Center.