While getting tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in the first quarter, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson sustained what could become a series-altering injury.
Already limping around the court, Mitchell’s ankle seemed to worsen after the flagrant foul by Embiid. Robinson attempted to tough it out but after the Knicks took a timeout early in the second quarter, he didn’t return to the court. Per the Knicks PR, Robinson was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Robinson, who has the second-most blocks in Knicks’ history, played just six minutes. He was seen leaving the Wells Fargo Center in a walking boot.
Mitchell Robinson Suffers Concerning Game 3 Injury
Notably, Robinson was listed as questionable ahead of Game 3 with left ankle injury management. He’s only recently recovered from a left ankle surgery that led him to miss 51 games in the regular season.
After the game, Embiid addressed his unnecessary foul on Robinson. Whether he’s aware that social media was rife with characterizations of him as a dirty player is unknown. Nonetheless, when he took to the podium, he made it clear that his intent wasn’t to hurt Robinson:
“… Trying to make sure he doesn’t land on me,” Embiid says of the situation.
“Because obviously we know the history that I have with (Jonathan) Kuminga landing on my knee. So I kind of had some flashbacks when he came down to it.
It’s unfortunate. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. In those situations, I’ve got to protect myself because I’ve been in way too many situations where I’m always the recipient of the bad end of it.”
Knicks leader Josh Hart addressed the play as well, saying: “We’re just happy Mitch didn’t get a serious injury on that” (per the New York Post’s Peter Botte).
“I’m all for tough fouls, tough, playoff fouls, but that’s something that can put a guy out for a significant amount of time. So we’re lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt during that play. It’s extremely tough. Obviously he’s someone that’s a big part of this team and a big part of our team identity. So it’s a bummer to see.”
Hart considers the foul “reckless,” per The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
Why No Ejection?
Katz also related the postgame response from the game’s officiating crew.
In the memo, the referees explaining why Embiid wasn’t assessed a Flagrant 2 for the foul. A Flagrant 2 would have led to an automatic ejection for Embiid. That would’ve likely led a win for the Knicks as Embiid scored a playoff career-high 50 points in Game 3.
Per crew chief Zach Zarba, “the crew was unanimous along with the replay center official in Secaucus that this foul was unnecessary but did not rise to the level of a flagrant 2.”
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