ALL-STAR Joel Embiid dunks during the NBA special event but he will miss a quick return with an injury. AP

WASHINGTON — The Philadelphia 76ers return from the National Basketball Association All-Star break without Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid, who will miss at least a week with a sore left knee.

The start of his NBA career was delayed for two seasons, and he missed 51 games in his first campaign because of injuries

The 76ers said Wednesday that an MRI exam showed no structural damage to Embiid’s knee, and he will undergo treatment involving physical therapy and load management.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said the trouble appeared to be “a little bit of tendinitis” and he didn’t think it was exacerbated by Embiid’s appearance in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

“It’s a natural dot-connector, but it shouldn’t be,” Brown told reporters at 76ers training on Wednesday.

Brown also said it would be a mistake to “read into anything” despite 24-year-old Embiid’s injury history.

The start of his NBA career was delayed for two seasons, and he missed 51 games in his first campaign because of injuries.

“This is an NBA athlete that has some soreness in a knee, that has had an MRI, and we all should move on,” Brown said. “We’ll miss him, obviously, playing-wise, but it’s not anything that isn’t completely pointed toward keeping him ready, and especially keeping him ready when it matters most at the end of the year.”

The 76ers, fifth in the Eastern Conference 6 1/2- games behind the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks, launch their second-half playoff push against the Miami Heat on Thursday, when NBA action resumes in the wake of the All-Star break with six games.