Instant Observations: A vintage Joel Embiid performance leads Sixers over Pacers despite Tyrese Maxey’s absence

Playing their first game of the season without superstar guard Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from the visiting Indiana Pacers down the stretch for a 115-105 win behind strong performances from Paul George and VJ Edgecombe, and a rare dominant, 39-point outing from Joel Embiid that reminds you just how immensely talented the former MVP is.

With the win, the Sixers have improved to 14-10 on the season.

Here’s what I saw.

A throwback Joel Embiid domination
Barely a minute into the 3rd quarter, Joel Embiid stepped up to the free-throw line. Having just exploded for 15 points in the second quarter, including a step-back 3 to close out the half.

Embiid carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring the first six points for the Sixers. By this point, Embiid was cooking. And as he stepped to the line for his 22nd point of the night, fans serenaded Embiid with something that was once a nightly occurrence (albeit at the previously named Wells Fargo Center), but is now mostly reserved for Embiid’s superstar teammate in Tyrese Maxey: MVP chants.

Given everything that has happened to Embiid over the past 23 months, it’s easy to forget just how dominant he was just a short while ago. At this point two years ago, these kind of nights were the norm, as prior to Jonathan Kuminga landing on his leg on that fateful day on January 30th, 2024, Embiid was on his way to his second consecutive MVP award, and having one of the most historic scoring seasons in the history of the sport.

Ever since that point, it has seemed like Embiid has been at war. At war with that body that seems to be betraying him, and at war with his mind as he grapples with his newfound limitations, and works to build up trust in a knee that will likely never be what it once was.

But behind all of those struggles remains one of the most talented big men in the history of the sport, with an array of moves that few men his size have ever possessed. He reminded fans of that on Friday night.

Embiid really got going midway through the 2nd quarter, and one of his previous go-to moves, a hang dribble pull-up jumper, was the catalyst, jumpstarting Embiid to a stretch where he scored 15 points in the final six minutes and 38 seconds of the second quarter.

During this stretch Embiid looked … different than he has at any point this season. The decisiveness in his game was drastically different. The willingness to face up and drive to the basket was reminiscent of old times. He was aggressively seeking out post-up opportunities early in the shot clock against overmatched big man Jay Huff. Even the pump fake foul grifting looked like vintage Embiid.

It was glorious.

Embiid finished the game with a season-high 39 points, nine rebounds and three assists, doing so on an efficient 12-23 from the field. It’s the most points that Embiid has scored in a game since he dropped 50 on the Knicks in the 2024 playoffs. It was a true vintage performance from the big man.

Obviously, nobody is going to look one Embiid performance and declare that he is back. The injuries that he has suffered, the meniscus that he has lost, is going to make that tough to sustain, and certainly he is going to have to play like this more frequently, and more consistently, before anyone can just forget the struggles of the last two years.

But even if it’s going to take more before fans truly buy back into Joel Embiid, there are going to be nights when everything is working, and when he is going to remind you of how immensely talented of a player he truly is. Tonight was one of those nights.

VJ Edgecombe steps up
Coming into the game, Sixers fans were curious exactly how the Sixers would overcome the absence of Tyrese Maxey, who missed his first game of the season on Friday night with an illness. Early on, before Joel Embiid really took over, it was Paul George and, especially, VJ Edgecombe who carried the burden.

Edgecombe came out hunting shots in transition early, hitting a pull-up 3 before the defense was set, then catching an Indiana defense sleeping after a made free-throw to throw down an uncontested dunk in transition. Edgecombe then used that momentum to start attacking in the halfcourt, and while his individual scoring slowed down a bit in the second half, he continued to contribute in other ways, from his passing and playmaking to his pesky perimeter defense.

When all was said and done, Edgecombe finished with 22 points (on just 10 shots), four rebounds and five assists in one of his better all-around performances since his record-setting opening week to the season.

PG ramping up
Besides Edgecombe, Paul George was one of the primary beneficiaries of Maxey’s absence, especially early on. George scored eight first quarter points on 3-5 shooting, including 2-3 from 3-point range, to help set the pace. When the night was over, he had accumulated 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, including some big free-throws, and a tough driving layup, to help seal the game for the Sixers down the stretch.

Over his last three games, George is averaging 18.3 points and 4.3 assists, a span which now includes two of his best performances of the season. After missing the first three weeks of the season, George seems to be settling into the role of a professional scorer and secondary playmaker, even if perhaps not the kind of high-volume scorer many envisioned when the Sixers lured him away in free agency in the summer of 2024.

But as critical as George’s scoring and playmaking were, his defense continues to be the most consistent, and perhaps most necessary, part of his game for this team. Coming into the game the Sixers were 9.9 points per 100 possessions better defensively with George on the court, and he showed that aptitude, and versatility, once again tonight. George will take some flak every now and then for not taking on the responsibility of guarding the toughest assignment every night, but at 35 years of age (and turning 36 later this spring), that’s not the best use of George’s abilities on that end. He’s an off-ball roamer, a positionally excellent and reliable team defender, and a switchable weapon that the Sixers desperately need.

Don’t let his lack of point-of-attack dominance cloud your judgment too much. He’s still incredibly valuable on that end.

Stray thoughts

• Another tough game for Jared McCain, who finished with just 5 points on 2-6 shooting in 14 minutes. He struggled to handle Indy’s pressure defense in the second quarter, and then once again saw the floor for just a few minutes after the break. It’s a tough day to make this case, but I continue to believe that Nick Nurse has to give McCain a bit of a longer rope to help him work through some of these issues and get him back into rhythm. His offense, his shooting, and his secondary ball handling could be really valuable if they can get him back up to speed.
• Another big struggle of a night for Justin Edwards, who failed to make a shot in his 19 minutes of play and got worked on the perimeter defensively. After a promising rookie season, Edwards has been one of the season’s bigger disappointments so far.