PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid suffered a fractured sinus in the 76ers’ 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacerson on Friday night, the latest setback in a season full of them for the All-Star big man.

Embiid was battling Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin for a defensive rebound in the final seconds of the first half when he hit an errant forearm and elbow to the face. As play continued on the field, he collapsed to the ground and lay near the Philadelphia bench, holding his face.

The team ruled him out early in the second half because of an “impact on the right side of his face” in the cheek and nose area.

Coach Nick Nurse did not provide any information about Embiid’s status after the game, saying only that he was still undergoing tests. The team later said he suffered the ruptured sinus and would be re-evaluated this weekend.

Embiid had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in 17 minutes in the 76ers’ loss, which plays in Charlotte on Monday.

Embiid has only appeared in six of Philadelphia’s 23 games. He suffered from swelling in his left knee and served a three-game suspension for a physical incident with a reporter.

Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George — considered Philadelphia’s big three following George’s offseason arrival — have played parts of just three games together. The Sixers are 7-16 this season.

“You just have to keep going and practice when we get back to practice and have a next-man-up mentality,” said Maxey, who led Philadelphia with 22 points. “The bad thing is that we have moved in the right direction. The boys figured out what roles there were, what the coach wanted from them and how they played correctly. We know how to play with Joel – and now we may need to change our attitude.” Think about playing without him. That’s life.

Embiid has had a number of facial injuries, including a fractured orbital bone after a collision with Pascal Siakam during the 2022 playoffs against the Raptors and one in 2018 after a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz. Last year, Embiid revealed during a first-round playoff loss to New York that he had Bell’s palsy.

Embiid told ESPN after Sunday’s win in Chicago that his left knee issues this season are “depressing” because the swelling is not related to an injury. That was Philadelphia’s last game before Friday.

“He’s been feeling really good all week and he’s been practicing all week,” Nurse said when asked about Embiid’s mental state. “We did a lot of things to keep up with him. But I can imagine that he feels like the black cloud is hanging over him a little bit. He keeps running into something, really unfortunate.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.br/)