Embiid missed 14 games in the second half of the regular season due to a sort left knee.
It’s an issue that seemingly hasn’t eased, although the 25-year-old did play in the two opening games of the series against Brooklyn.
However, on the first road game of the series, Embiid was ruled out of playing.
It comes after Embiid angered Nets players and fans following Philadelphia’s Game 2 win.
He could have easily been ejected for a vicious elbow to Jarrett Allen’s face during the game.
After the game, Embiid looked sincere when he began apologising for the incident, before bursting into hysterics alongside Ben Simmons.
And that didn’t sit well with several Nets players, including Caris Lavert.
“We didn’t really like that,” Lavert said.
“We thought that was kind of disrespectful, especially after the elbow he threw. It is what it is. There’s no love lost. It’s a playoff series. We expect that.”
Jared Dudley was also furious with Embiid, saying he “felt a certain type of way for it”.
And after Embiid was ruled out playing in Game 3 in Brooklyn, Nets fans took it as a sign that he didn’t want to face the barrage of abuse he would receive from the home crowd.
One fan joked: “Embiid is scared like a little girl at a haunted house! He tucked his tail and ran.”
Another tweeted: “Embiid really out here dodging Jared Dudley.”
A third said: “Cracked a rib laughing at the press conference [after] Game 2.”
A fourth cracked: “Embiid is soft. He’s ducking that Brooklyn retaliation.”