Woj: 76ers' Joel Embiid Returning for Game 3 vs. Heat After Injury Recovery

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers center will return for Game 3 of the team's second-round series against the Miami Heat on Friday night.

Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and mild concussion in Game 6 of the Sixers' first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. While he missed the start of the conference semifinals against the Miami Heat, he made a major step toward his return by clearing concussion protocol Friday morning. 

After taking an elbow from the Raptors, the Philadelphia 76ers center broke his jaw and will wear a mask to protect it.

Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBA

Masked Embiid pic.twitter.com/3UfF1vxnFh

Philly trails Miami 2-0 in the second-round series as it's struggled to fill the massive two-way void left by the MVP candidate.

The five-time All-Star averaged 26.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 51.1 percent from the field in the opening round against Toronto.

DeAndre Jordan jumped in the lineup to replace Embiid the past two games, but the 76ers struggled mightily during his time on the floor. 

StatMuse @statmuse

The Sixers have been outscored by 54.2 points per 100 possessions when DeAndre Jordan is on the court. 95.0 offensive rating149.2 defensive rating

He’s been the Heat’s best player. pic.twitter.com/X8vQtFCRNX

After dropping the first two games of the series in South Florida, Philadelphia will get a significant boost with the return of Embiid.