Last night’s 118-101 win over the Knicks came at a heavy cost: the loss of Joel Embiid.

X-rays were negative and Embiid did not receive a concussion. He was diagnosed with a facial contusion and went to a local hospital for precautionary tests. The Sixers will probably give an update later today or at the latest tomorrow before the team plays Atlanta.

It was the second consecutive game that Markelle Fultz collided with his own teammate. This collision was obviously worse than the one he had on Monday.

As for the game, Dario Saric had a huge double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Ben Simmons had another near triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists, and eight boards. JJ Redick, Robert Covington, and Marco Belinelli also scored in double figures.

With Embiid gone for nearly 3/4 of the game and Amir Johnson already out, Richaun Holmes got nearly 22 minutes of action with 15 points and seven rebounds.

As for Markelle Fultz, he scored three points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 13:35 of play. He did have this block:

I also love Dario Saric:

With a Cleveland win, nothing changes between third and fourth in the Eastern Conference. But with the Pacers idle, the Sixers do go a half-game up on Indiana with a game in hand. They’re at Sacramento tonight, while Washington is on the road facing Detroit:

Sixers take on the Hawks in Atlanta Friday night. They have plenty of time.

Meanwhile, their G-League affiliate in Delaware will now be known as the Delaware Blue Coats.

The Roundup:

We’re now down to 12 in The Worst of Philadelphia bracket.

Speaking of teams that won and had a big injury, the Flyers couldn’t avoid the bug. And it involved goalie Michal Neuvirth, who made his first start in over a month after suffering a lower-body injury. He left midway the second period with…a lower-body injury.

Nobody even knew on the TV broadcast what had happened to the goalie until the first save made was by Petr Mrazek. It was that sneaky.

He somehow got credited with the win as the Flyers took home a big 2-1 victory over the Avalanche. Claude Giroux scored the first goal, which tied his career-high of 93 points, and Ivan Provorov scored the game-winner with two minutes left in the first. Matt Nieto cut the Flyer lead to half five minutes into the second.

With Columbus idle, the Flyers moved back to third in the Metropolitan division. They also got some breathing room with Florida losing in regulation to Toronto:

The Devils host Pittsburgh, Florida plays Ottawa, and Columbus visits Calgary in tonight’s notable games.

The Flyers are off until Sunday when they host Boston in NBC’s Game of the Week at 12:30 PM. I hope Alex Lyon didn’t pack his bags for Lehigh Valley just yet.

The Phillies are back. Opening Day in Atlanta against the Braves at 4:10 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Aaron Nola will take the mound against Julio Teheran. Their over-under on wins is at 75.5, and a ton of people are taking the over on that number.

Thanks to an injury back in 2016, Nola committed to becoming stronger and healthier in time for last season. And it helped.

“After the injury, I learned how to use my legs more and during rehab I tried to make them stronger,” he said. “That’s taken stress off my elbow. I thought I was using my legs the right way, but I wasn’t. I developed better mechanics in my legs while I was rehabbing. That kept me healthy last year.”

Three things have made the Phillies think about a possible return to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Are you a good left-handed pitcher? The Phillies need you for batting practice help.

Enjoy five memorable Opening Day moments while you’re at it.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman was named the 2017 Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year, as voted by his fellow GMs.

Despite the Rams getting Ndamukong Suh, the Eagles still have the best defensive line, according to many ESPN writers.

One of those players on that line is Brandon Graham, who still hasn’t received a new contract extension:

“Brandon is a hugely valuable part of our team,” Roseman said. “Obviously, he’s in the last year of his deal and he’s one of the most productive players at his position. He deserves whatever he can get. At the same time, we have a cap and we’re trying to fit everyone in. We’re trying to fit as many good players.

“We went through this yesterday – we have a lot of players who are under contract, not only for 2018, 2019, but when we get into the 2020s, and they’re good players. We want to keep as many of them around as possible and add players on top of it. That’s a challenge, that’s a puzzle that we’re trying to figure out. But it’s a good problem to have.”

It’s a problem all successful teams face and one Roseman must navigate if the Eagles – who currently have about $5 million in cap space — are to become a perennial Super Bowl contender. Who do you keep? Which of your foundational players do you compensate? And how can you keep the business side from affecting the locker room and coach Doug Pederson’s ability to keep the team focused on the field?

Malcolm Jenkins’ hit on Brandin Cooks in Super Bowl LII would now be illegal with the new tackling rules.

In Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, he has the Eagles taking South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert.

Should the Eagles keep Darren Sproles for one more year?

In other sports news, Isaiah Thomas will undergo surgery on his right hip. But the Lakers are still interested in his services in free agency.

If a team wants Odell Beckham, it’ll take at least two first round picks.

Marvin Bagley III is NBA bound.

Speaking of Duke, future Blue Devil Zion Williamson injured his right thumb in last night’s McDonald’s All American game.

Cody Kessler is Blake Bortles’ new backup. The Browns traded him to the Jaguars in exchange for a 2019 conditional seventh round pick.

Could Reuben Foster’s days in San Francisco soon be over?

Former Mets legend Rusty Staub has died at the age of 73.

Augusta, Georgia’s new ABA team is called the…706ers.

In the news, Bill Cosby’s legal team is pressuring the judge to step aside and postpone his retrial.

Two pilots in Arizona think they saw a UFO.

Don’t wear AirPods like Rudy Giuliani:

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