By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid says he is “not a quitter” after producing his best-ever post-season performance, despite dealing with the facial condition Bell’s palsy.
Bell’s palsy causes facial muscle weakness or paralysis, affecting the muscles on one side of the face.
Embiid scored a play-off career-high 50 points in Philadelphia’s 125-114 win over the New York Knicks, in game three of their play-off series.
“I think it started a day or two before the Miami game [in the play-in tournament], and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing,” Embiid said after Thursday’s win. “It’s pretty annoying, you know, with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. So yeah, it’s been tough.
Embiid, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2023, said he had been dealing with the condition since Philadelphia’s win over the Miami Heat on 17 April.
He said the condition has affected his vision at times, causing it to be blurry, and said he constantly has to put drops in his eye to keep it from getting too dry. He also said it’s unclear how long the condition could last, but that it could be weeks or months.
“I just hope that it could stay like this,” Embiid said before adding with a smile, “I got a beautiful face. I don’t like when my mouth is looking the other way.
“Like I said, unfortunate situation, but everything happens for a reason. Like I said, I gotta take care of myself mentally.”
Despite noticeable moments of his face appearing to droop to one side during the game, Embiid shot 13 of 19 from the field and 19 of 21 from the free-throw line.
The win cuts the 76ers’ deficit in the Eastern Conference first-round play-offs to 2-1.
Game four in the best-of-seven series will be played in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from reaching the Western Conference semi-finals.
The reigning NBA champions claimed a 112-105 win on the road to take a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference play-offs against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nikola Jokic grabbed 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, while Aaron Gordon added 29 points.
LeBron James produced 26 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who have now lost 11 games in a row against Denver.
The Nuggets will book a spot in the semi-finals if they win game four in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their heaviest ever post-season defeat with a convincing 121-83 victory.
Paolo Banchero collected 31 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando, who trail 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.