Joel Embiid reportedly expected to be ready for postseason after missing 76ers finale

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid did not play in Sunday's season-ending 107-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets, but he's expected to be ready to play in their postseason opener, ESPN's Tim Bontemps reports.

Embiid previously returned to Philadelphia's lineup on April 2 from a midseason knee injury that required surgery and sidelined him for 29 games. He played in five of the 76ers' previous six games before being ruled out on Sunday. The decision to sit Embiid in a game with significant stakes attached was made as a precautionary measure, according to the report.

Despite the win over the Nets, the 76ers did not clinch a playoff berth. The Pacers secured the No. 6 seed and the final guaranteed playoff berth in the East with a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The 76ers clinched the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 8 seed Miami Heat on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET in the play-in tournament. Embiid is expected to be ready to play in that game, per the report.

The winner will advance to play the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in the playoffs, while the loser will play an elimination game against either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks for the No. 8 seed.

Philadelphia entered Sunday's final day of the NBA season as the No. 7 seed with a chance to move into the No. 5 or No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in tournament. Wins by the Pacers and Orlando Magic ensured that they would not move up in the standings.

Embiid briefly left Friday's 125-113 win over the Orlando Magic after appearing to tweak his surgically repaired knee. He returned to the game and finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Embiid participated in practice Saturday, but was ultimately ruled out Sunday prior to tip-off. The reigning NBA MVP, Embiid was in the MVP conversation again prior to his injury. He finishes the regular season having averaged 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.