The Philadelphia 76ers are on fire. They won their 16th game in a row Wednesday night, cruising past the Milwaukee Bucks, 130-95. They've continued their hot streak despite the absence of their best player, Joel Embiid, who underwent surgery to repair a broken orbital bone after his face collided with Markelle Fultz's head.
It's still not yet clear when Embiid will play again—will he miss round one of the playoffs?—but he took some warmup shots with his squad Wednesday, and he looked good.
Joel Embiid taking shots with mask on for first time on court đźŽ
Lookin good 👍🏼#PlayoffGameFace#HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/vKGzWXutz0
You'll notice Embiid was sporting a facial mask—something fans had eagerly anticipated after his injury. Embiid's mask quickly attention on Twitter. He even meme'd himself.
“No one cared who I was until I put on the mask”.... The Phantom of The Process pic.twitter.com/JOkQxCAxYA
Where does Embiid’s mask rank among LeBron, Kobe & Kyrie? pic.twitter.com/jBfKtm4dgM
About to write a think piece about how Joel Embiid’s face mask is racially insensitive. pic.twitter.com/sODQxtEhjw
There is only one mask and it’s Rip Hamilton’s pic.twitter.com/rBe70Ru3Uj
Spring’s newest accessory?
Joel Embiid spotting at the Wells Fargo Center, with a fresh mask in tow. pic.twitter.com/h3K3pUEck2
Joel Embiid putting mask on courtside while watching #Sixers warm up: pic.twitter.com/7ea5DKa3ga
The Sixers (52-30) will play No. 6 seed Miami (44-38) in the first round. The first game is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. in Philly. Here's the full playoff picture.
