Sidelined again | Sports Daily Newsletter

It is natural to say that Joel Embiid is cursed, but then we must remember that the Sixers center is blessed, rewarded with millions of dollars for playing basketball. It is fine, though, to say that his team is cursed.

The Sixers are fighting to avoid the NBA’s Play-in Tournament, but the team revealed Thursday that Embiid became ill in Houston and underwent an emergency appendectomy. It usually takes weeks to return to exercise after that surgery, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which means Embiid would be iffy to return in time for the playoffs.

Injuries and ailments have plagued the big man ever since the Sixers drafted him in 2014: He has missed 491 games and played in just 490. Playoff time has been especially cruel to him, from Bell’s palsy in 2024 to orbital bone fractures in 2018 and 2022.

Coach Nick Nurse expressed his concern for Embiid and said of the challenge ahead: “I’m the leader of the team. I’ve got to pick the guys up.”

Embiid’s absence seemed to deflate the Sixers against the Rockets, as Tyrese Maxey and Co. got down big early and could not recover in a 113-102 loss.

The defeat dropped the Sixers into a tie with the Charlotte Hornets for eighth in the Eastern Conference, and two full games behind the No. 6 seed Atlanta Hawks. It looks like we’ll see you in the Play-In ...

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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It is the stuff of legend. On Jan. 11, 1976, at the reverberating Spectrum, the Flyers became the first NHL team to beat the Soviet Union’s vaunted Central Red Army and they did it convincingly.

The 4-1 victory included a bone-crushing hit by Ed Van Impe on Russian star Valeri Kharlamov that prompted the visitors to leave the ice for 15 minutes. Remember that the game was played with the backdrop of the ever-present Cold War. The Broad Street Bullies, two-time Stanley Cup champions, reached the high point in franchise history in that rousing win, Mike Sielski writes.

Northeast Philly native Joe Amodei is revisiting the team’s glorious win in Cold War in Philly, a documentary he directed that will debut at the Suzanne Roberts Theater on May 27. Amodei interviewed several Flyers who played in the landmark game, trying to recover from each “at least one tidbit that no one ever heard of before.”

Alex Bump is 22 and Denver Barkey is only 20, but both players are getting valuable experience in a playoff-like atmosphere early in their careers with the Flyers. Bump has been in pressure-filled situations before as an NCAA champion with Western Michigan. Barkey captained the London Knights to the Memorial Cup title in 2025. This Flyers run is taking their education to another level.

“... The young guys, that’s why you just keep on preaching you’ve been in these situations before,” coach Rick Tocchet says. “I know the spotlight’s a little higher because [it’s] the NHL, but still, the preparation’s the same.”

The Flyers’ playoff hopes took a hit on Thursday, as the Orange and Black allowed three power-play goals — and a short-handed one — in an ugly 6-3 loss in Detroit. The good news is that with Columbus’ loss, the Flyers still control their destiny with three games to play.

Looking to the future, the Flyers signed another prospect, forward Jack Berglund, to a three-year entry-level contract.

By the time the Phillies boarded the plane back to Philadelphia on Wednesday, they had not scored a run for 20 straight innings. In that span, they also only had one extra-base hit: a double from Edmundo Sosa.

Only 12 games — 7.4% — into the season, the Phillies are trying to strike a balance between not underreacting and also not overreacting to the offense’s struggles. Still, there are some clear trends taking shape.

Here are the three biggest takeaways regarding the Phillies offense from a week on the road.

Next: The Phillies open a home series against Arizona at 6:40 tonight (NBCSP+). Jesús Luzardo (1-1, 4.97 ERA) will start for the Phillies.

Mo’ne Davis already has committed to play in the Women’s Professional Baseball League this summer. Now the former Little League phenom from Philly is joining the Savannah Bananas experience as well. Davis, 24, has signed with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Banana Ball Championship League, the organization announced.

The Bananas have expanded their two-team Harlem Globetrotters-style tour into a six-team barnstorming league, and Davis will be part of the show.

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, photos include rookie Porter Martone and the Flyers, the Sixers in their playoff push, and college athletes moving outdoors for the spring.

In a column for The Inquirer, David Murphy analyzes the latest rehab start by Zack Wheeler in his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery:

On Wednesday night, Wheeler had plenty of reasons to be proud as he walked off a mound to healthy applause from the sparse crowd at Coca-Cola Park. He’d just held a lineup of Nationals minor leaguers to one run in 4⅓ innings, throwing 61 pitches in what everyone hopes will be his penultimate rehab outing before rejoining the Phillies rotation. ...

But there is still one big unknown. It is a question that every pitcher confronts at a certain point, one that he must banish to the deepest reaches of his competitive mind. Will the velocity come back? More from David Murphy.

We asked: What’s your best March Madness memory? Among your responses:

My favorite March madness memory is the championship game in 2016 between North Carolina and Villanova. North Carolina was favored and they had been one of the all-time great programs in college basketball. Both teams played at the top of their game with the lead going back and forth. It was topped off by Kris Jenkins’ unbelievable buzzer-beating shot to win the game — an all-time thriller! — Tom E.

Best memories Tom Gola and La Salle College beating Bradley, 92-76, for the first NCAA championship by a Big 5 team in 1954 and then Kris Jenkins shot that took down the favored Tar Heels, 77-74, in 2016 for the Wildcats’ second NCAA championship. — Everett S.

Villanova Villanova Villanova — Bill M.

Kris Jenkins winning it all for Villanova after the pass from Archie. Can’t beat it. — Tom G.

Nothing has come to a close second to the April 1, 1985 game when Villanova won what has been called the greatest college basketball game ever played, defeating Georgetown, 66–64. — Ronald R.

We compiled today’s newsletter with contributions from Gina Mizell, Mike Sielski, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Olivia Reiner, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Owen Hewitt, and Inquirer staff photographers.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Have a great weekend. I’ll catch you again on Monday in another edition of Sports Daily. — Jim