Joel Embiid made a gutsy return from an appendectomy. The 76ers are still in trouble against Boston

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid presumed he had a wretched stomach bug that hit him hard for a day or two on the Philadelphia 76ers' road trip earlier this month in Texas.

The 7-footer from Cameroon became so debilitated by the ailment that he struggled walking, stayed awake deep into the night and even going to the bathroom became a chore. Embiid was finally forced to tell team officials this sickness was worse than food poisoning or any other malady he suspected, and he required a hospital visit.

The test results almost seemed preordained for bad news for Embiid around NBA playoff time.

One of the dominant big men of his era when healthy, Embiid has had a postseason career curtailed by a cornucopia of injuries — sprains, fractures, even facial paralysis — and this April was no exception.

Embiid had an appendectomy in Houston on April 9 after the two-time NBA scoring champion was stricken with appendicitis overnight and sidelined indefinitely.

No Sixers' stretch run. No play-in tournament game. He watched from the bench as the Sixers went down 2-1 to Boston in their first-round series.

“You probably go through a couple of days where you feel bad for yourself,” Embiid said late Sunday. “Then it’s right back to it. Are you going to give up or are you going to try and come back as early as possible?”

Embiid indeed returned early and was welcomed by a roaring ovation in Game 4 only 17 days after having surgery, desperate to give the Sixers the punch — scoring, rather than gut — needed to try to upset a Celtics team that beat the Sixers by 32 points in a Game 1 victory.

The result was familiar, the 76ers again lost by 32, 128-96 on Sunday night and now trail the series 3-1 headed into Game 5 on Tuesday night in Boston.

Embiid had 26 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes, a gutsy effort in his latest return from injury that the Sixers otherwise did little to suggest they could win the next three games. The numbers were brutal: Boston hit 24 3-pointers to the 76ers' nine; the Celtics won the rebounding battle 51-30; and Boston at one point had a 13-0 edge in second-chance points to build a 21-point lead.

Give the Sixers this much: They know how to get blown out.

With All-Stars in Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George on the roster, the Sixers this season were the first team in NBA history to lose three home game by 40-plus points. Throw in two 32-pointers (one each at home and the road) in the playoffs and team president Daryl Morey and coach Nick Nurse figure to sit on the hot seat if the Sixers can't recover and win this series.

“I think those are going to kind of happen a couple of times a year,” Nurse said. “Listen, our kind of MO all year was to have a lot of things thrown at us, pick ourselves up and fight back. We're just going to have to do it again.”

To have any chance at resuscitating their chances, the Sixers need ruthless aggression and production from Maxey and rookie standout VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers have muddled roster construction in trying to win with two young, speedy, flashy guards while at the same time trying to force an aging, brittle, big man the ball.

Sure enough, Embiid sank two free throws for the Sixers’ first points of the game, added a monster two-handed jam and scored the team’s first eight points.

Maxey took a backseat to Embiid and took only three shots in the first half. He scored 22 points for the Sixers in 40 minutes.

“That can’t happen,” Maxey said of the slow start. “That’s on me. That’s just unacceptable by me. I was playing within the flow of the game. It kind of happened that way. It wasn’t meant to happen that way.”

Maxey and Edgecombe combined for 23 shots. Embiid attempted 21.

“There's a couple of times when he had opportunities to shoot the ball, but he's got to take them,” Embiid said of Maxey. “You've got to want it.”

Embiid said he had unspecified complications after the surgery but still went out “to do the best job possible with the conditions.” He was limited to 38 games this season, sitting out primarily to manage injuries to his knees, and hasn’t appeared in as many as 40 games in a regular season since 2022-23, when he averaged a career-best 33.1 points and earned MVP honors.

Embiid said he no choice but to push through his latest setback and try to salvage the Sixers' season. It's a familiar refrain in Philadelphia. While anything can happen, the final result for the Sixers seems as inevitable as Embiid pulling up lame — no NBA title since 1983, no conference final since 2001.

“I just told them again, way out of character,” Nurse said. “We played another, about as bad as we could play, game. That's two in the series.”

The third one ends another empty postseason.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid goes up for a dunk during the first half of Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (21) goes up for a shot during the first half of Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid goes up for a dunk during the first half of Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Boston Celtics' Neemias Queta, left, cannot get a shot past Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid reacts during the first half of Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 27, 2026--

Clarion Partners, a leading investor in industrial real estate, today announced robust leasing activity across its global portfolio, with more than 8 million square feet of newly executed leases year-to-date, including 7.1 million square feet (MSF) in the U.S. and 1.0 MSF in Europe. Additionally, both regions of the business set new leasing records for a first quarter (for the U.S. region, this was the strongest first quarter in the Firm’s 40+ year history; for Europe, it represented the strongest Q1 since the firm began building its European platform in 2020).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427273510/en/

Clarion’s U.S. leasing activity includes 35 new leases spanning key logistics and distribution markets including Dallas/Fort Worth (1.1MSF), Lehigh Valley (1.0 MSF), Indianapolis (800k SF), Inland Empire (756k SF), and New Jersey (445k SF). The vacancy rate for the Firm’s nearly 220 MSF U.S. industrial portfolio declined by 175 basis points (bps) over the first quarter.

Clarion Europe’s leasing activity was most robust in markets including the Netherlands (454k SF), Spain (238k SF), France (205k SF), and the United Kingdom (102k SF), contributing to platform vacancy levels .

Tenant demand in both markets has been driven primarily by e-commerce and 3PLs, reflecting the ongoing evolution of global supply chains and the need for modern, efficient distribution networks.

“Despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and supply chain recalibration, we continue to see strong absorption in our portfolio, particularly across well-located Class A assets,” said Dayton Conklin, Managing Director and Head of Clarion Partners’ U.S. Industrial Platform. “With two thirds of U.S. inventory built before 2000, obsolescence continues to support positive rent growth in newer, state-of-the-art facilities.”

“Tenants continue to prioritize modern facilities that provide higher clear heights, advanced loading capabilities, ESG features, automation readiness, and proximity to labor and transportation nodes,” said Clarion Partners Europe CEO Alistair Calvert. “This trend is particularly evident in urban infill and major distribution corridors, where supply remains constrained and demand for best-in-class space continues to outpace availability.

Class A Activity Gains Momentum

For the overall U.S. market, Q1 industrial vacancy remained stable at 6.7%, the first time without a quarterly increase since early 2022. In addition, Class A warehouse net absorption specifically accelerated both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year, exceeding new construction deliveries for the first time in almost five years. Leasing in the 1MSF+ segment was particularly robust, with 19 MSF of net absorption in Q1. Vacancy in that segment fell 170 bps year-over-year to 4.2% (the lowest among size segments) nationally. Leasing in the big box / e-commerce segment has historically served as a leading indicator for increased activity across other industrial tenant types and building sizes. 1

In Europe, overall market vacancy stabilized at 5.5% in Q4 2025, 2 signaling that the market is approaching, or may already be at, peak vacancy. As in the U.S., a growing bifurcation is evident between modern Grade A buildings and older stock, with vacancy for the former remaining below 3% in core Western European markets. 3

Positioned for Continued Growth

Clarion Partners remains focused on growing its industrial platform through development, strategic acquisitions, and active asset management across high-conviction markets in the U.S. and Europe. The firm’s disciplined approach and emphasis on location and quality continue to drive leasing performance and long-term value creation.

1 CBRE-EA with additional calculations from Clarion Partners Global Research, Q1 2026
2 CBRE, Q4 2025
3 Green Street, January 2026

About Clarion Partners

Clarion Partners, an SEC registered investment adviser with FCA-authorized and FINRA member affiliates, has been a leading U.S. real estate investment manager for more than 40 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm maintains strategically located offices across the United States and Europe. With over $72 billion in total real estate and debt assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to 500 institutional investors across the globe. Clarion is scaled in all major property types and was an early entrant into the Industrial sector. The Firm’s global industrial team manages a 945+ property portfolio in the U.S. and Europe consisting of more than 245 million square feet. For more information visit www.clarionpartners.com and follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Templeton is a trusted investment partner, delivering tailored solutions that align with clients’ strategic goals. With deep portfolio management expertise across public and private markets, we combine investment excellence with cutting-edge technology. Since our founding in 1947, we have empowered clients through strategic partnership, forward-looking insights, and continuous innovation – providing the tools and resources to navigate change and capture opportunity.

With more than $1.7 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2026, Franklin Templeton operates globally in more than 35 countries. To learn more, visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN]

Copyright © 2026. Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

35 Northlake, a multi-building industrial park located in the Dallas, TX market