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Joel Embiid is not officially back yet, but the Philadelphia 76ers received their most encouraging update of the series less than an hour before Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.

The Sixers upgraded Embiid from doubtful to questionable for Sunday night’s playoff game, according to the NBA’s official injury report, with Embiid still recovering from an emergency appendectomy he underwent on April 9.

UPDATED, 6:29 p.m. ET: Joel Embiid will return tonight versus the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

That does not guarantee Embiid will play. But it is a meaningful shift after he missed the first three games of the series, and it gives the Sixers a possible late boost in a matchup that could swing the entire first round.

Boston leads the series 2-1 after a 108-100 Game 3 win in Philadelphia. Game 4 gives the Celtics a chance to move within one win of advancing, while the Sixers can even the series before it returns to Boston.

Is Joel Embiid Playing Tonight? Star Now Listed as Questionable

The safest answer is that Embiid is a true pregame decision.

“Questionable” means the Sixers have left the door open for him to play, but it is not the same as being available. The NBA requires teams to list players whose participation could be affected by injuries, illnesses or other medical conditions, and teams must update those designations as circumstances change.

That makes the timing important. Embiid had previously been listed as doubtful because of post-appendectomy surgery recovery. Moving him to questionable this close to tipoff signals that the Sixers saw enough progress to at least consider playing him in Game 4.

Aaronson reported that Embiid underwent the appendectomy 17 days before Game 4. He also noted that the Sixers had said earlier in the week that Embiid began a strength and conditioning program, then progressed to partial practice participation as he ramped back up on the court.

That is the encouraging part for Philadelphia. The cautious part is obvious: this is not a routine ankle tweak or a minor bruise. Embiid is returning from surgery, and the Sixers have to weigh short-term playoff urgency against how his body responds after warmups.

Embiid’s Injury Status Changes the Sixers-Celtics Matchup Immediately

Even a limited Embiid would change the way Boston has to defend Philadelphia.

Without him, the Sixers have leaned heavily on Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and rookie VJ Edgecombe to create offense. Maxey scored 31 points in Game 3, while George added 18, but Philadelphia still fell short as Boston regained home-court advantage.

Embiid’s presence would give the Sixers a half-court anchor, a foul-drawing threat and a defensive deterrent around the rim. It would also force Boston to make decisions it has not had to make yet in this series: whether to send extra help, how much size to keep on the floor and how aggressively to attack Embiid in space after his layoff.

The Sixers do not necessarily need Embiid to play 38 minutes for his return to matter. A shorter stint could still stabilize their offense, create easier looks for Maxey and George, and make Boston’s frontcourt absorb a far more physical assignment than it faced in the first three games.

But if Embiid plays, conditioning will be a real question. The Celtics are deep enough to test him in transition and in repeated screening actions. Philadelphia would have to protect him without becoming too conservative.

Sixers Still Have More Than One Injury Concern

Embiid is the headline, but he is not Philadelphia’s only injury issue.

Kelly Oubre Jr. was also listed as questionable with right adductor soreness, according to Liberty Ballers, after playing nearly 40 minutes in Game 3. The same report noted that Maxey has continued to play with a splint on his pinky.

That matters because Embiid’s return would not automatically solve everything. If Oubre is limited or out, the Sixers could still be thin on the wing against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If Maxey is carrying a heavy offensive load while managing his finger issue, Philadelphia needs as many clean scoring options as possible.

Still, the Embiid update is the one that reshapes the night.

For the first time in this series, the Sixers can realistically prepare for the possibility of having their franchise center on the floor. For the Celtics, the scouting report may have changed in the final stretch before tipoff.

The Sixers still need the final word from warmups and team medical staff. But upgrading Embiid to questionable is the clearest sign yet that his return is no longer just a future-series hope. It could happen in Game 4.