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NBA notebook: Embiid sustains facial contusion

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid left the 76ers' game against the New York Knicks in the second quarter Wednesday after sustaining a facial contusion in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz.

The injury occurred with 11:50 remaining in the first half. Fultz lobbed a pass off to Embiid, who lost control of the ball and instinctively bent down to recover it. When he did, Fultz, still in motion, hit Embiid in the face with his shoulder, sending himself and the All-Star center to the court.

While Fultz got right back up, Embiid stayed down and was escorted off by head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson. While they made their way to the locker room, cameras caught the 24-year-old bending over in pain once he cleared the doors to the hallway.

The Sixers announced that Embiid wouldn't return to the contest. Embiid went through concussion protocol and was cleared.

--Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome right hip Thursday in New York, the team announced. There is no timetable for his recovery.

"We will be doing a minimally invasive procedure to 'clean up' the joint of all inflammatory debris related to his injury from last season," Dr. Bryan Kelly said in a statement to ESPN.

Thomas' hip woes have limited him to just 32 games this season after making his debut as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 2. He was dealt to the Lakers ahead of the February trade deadline and had played in 17 straight games for the team before being sidelined on Saturday.

--John Wall's return to the Washington Wizards appears imminent, as the team upgraded his status to questionable for its game Thursday against the Detroit Pistons.

Wall has missed 26 games since undergoing left knee surgery in late January. Washington is 15-11 in those contests and has eight games remaining in the regular season.

Wall will make the trip to Detroit with the team, and his status will likely be determined after he takes part in shootaround Thursday morning.

--San Antonio power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is listed as questionable for the Spurs' Thursday game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one day after injuring his left knee.

The Spurs divulged that Aldridge's knee injury is a bruise.

Aldridge underwent an MRI exam earlier Wednesday that showed no structural damage to his knee after he got hurt Wednesday. He is considered day-to-day.

--Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless underwent a successful arthroscopy to remove a loose body from his left knee and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team announced.

The operation took place in Vancouver, Wash. The 24-year-old missed the team's 107-103 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

The Blazers were without star guard Damian Lillard for their Wednesday game against the Memphis Grizzlies. After pouring in 41 points against the Pelicans, Lillard left the team to fly home for the birth of his first child.

--Kevin Durant missed his sixth straight game Tuesday night with rib soreness, but the Golden State Warriors forward was adamant he will be ready for the Thursday game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Head coach Steve Kerr said that Durant would "probably" play vs. the Bucks, but Durant told ESPN before Tuesday's tipoff, "You can tell them I'm playing Thursday."

The Warriors, already missing injured stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, also played Tuesday night without Draymond Green, who is battling flu-like symptoms.

--James Harden is having an astounding season for the league-best Houston Rockets and is the favorite to be named league MVP.

However, he doesn't get LeBron James' hypothetical vote. The Cleveland Cavaliers star says his body of work in his 15th year as a pro is more worthy. "I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press.

When James won four MVP awards in five seasons from 2008-2013, he averaged 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting. This season, at age 33, James is averaging 27.4 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds on 55 percent shooting.

--Field Level Media