Instant observations: Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe find their grooves as Sixers win in Tyrese Maxey’s first absence

PHILADELPHIA – No Tyrese Maxey for the first time all season, no problem for the Sixers – at least on Friday night against the 6-18 Indiana Pacers.

With Maxey sidelined due to an illness, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe both had well-timed emergences as scorers to keep the Sixers afloat without the player who has shouldered the heaviest workload in the entire NBA through the first six weeks of the 2025-26 campaign.

Embiid casually totaled a season-high 39 points to lead the way for the Sixers, while Edgecombe’s 14-point first quarter powered the rookie’s first 20-plus-point outing since Nov. 19. Embiid’s signature foul-drawing skill was in full force, with the Sixers pummeling Indiana in the free-throw battle. The resilient Pacers made it close down the stretch, but the Sixers pulled away with a 115-105 victory as Paul George, the only other Sixer to provide an offensive jolt during the game, helped stabilize things down the stretch. It was all George and Embiid in the final minutes, perhaps for the first time in their partnership in Philadelphia. 

Takeaways from Embiid, Edgecombe and George’s strong nights, plus more as the Sixers improved to 14-10:

Joel Embiid finds a real groove

Embiid scored only four points on three shot attempts in nine minutes and change to begin Friday’s game. It felt like the same uninspiring production he has posted consistently since returning from a nine-game absence. Then came the second quarter, when Embiid scored 15 points in seven minutes, including this triple at the end of the half to break on 0-for-17 slump from beyond the arc since his return to action:

Embiid breaking out of his long-range shooting drought was encouraging, but the way Embiid found a scoring groove provided much more reason for optimism. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has often said that he knows Embiid is going well when he is driving to the basket off the dribble with force. Rarely has Embiid had the requisite trust in his knee(s) to do that this season, but on Friday he had it. Embiid was casually putting the ball on the floor and asserting his will on the Pacers’ makeshift collection of centers, drawing fouls at will.

So rarely this season has Embiid had defenses at his mercy the way he has so often during his NBA career. Once Embiid checked back in during the second quarter, it was extremely obvious that he was in control of the action and Indiana’s frontcourt could do little about it.

In a season with more discouraging Embiid performances thus far than ones inciting real excitement, this was a clear step in the right direction for a player who badly needed one. It is more important than a win or loss.

VJ Edgecombe finally breaks out as a scorer (again)

Before Friday’s game tipped off, Nurse was asked what he made of Edgecombe’s first 20 NBA games. Nurse has said many times that to him, Edgecombe’s success or lack thereof as a rookie would be determined by his minutes; in that sense, the No. 3 overall pick has clearly shined. But beyond his ability to stick as one of the higher-minute players in the entire league, what has stood out to Nurse about Edgecombe?

“My favorite thing about him is he does a little bit of everything,” Nurse said. “I think he can handle, he can pass, he can rebound, he can block shots, he can defend, he can shoot the three, he can go get a bucket. We’ve seen him make plays at the ends of games. He’s just a good player. IQ’s high, athleticism is just awesome. There’s just so many things, and I love that. He’s just so versatile, well-rounded and he’s still learning.”

Across his first six NBA games, Edgecombe averaged 20.3 points per game, including his historic 34-point NBA debut in Boston. But in the following 14-game span, Edgecombe only eclipsed 20 points one time, with his points-per-game figure nearly being cut in half. Edgecombe entered Friday’s game averaging just 11.8 points per game since that blazing six-game stretch to begin his career, yet it always felt like he was finding ways to impact winning. And while it would be easy for him to begin pressing in search of a scoring outburst, Edgecombe has continued to play within himself.

Perhaps Edgecombe’s scoring breakout on Friday was not just timed perfectly in the absence of Maxey but also a reward for playing the game the right way. Edgecombe knocked down a pair of early triples, forcing the Pacers to respect his capabilities from beyond the arc and opening up lanes to drive. Edgecombe totaled 14 points in the first quarter alone, tying his 14-point opening frame in Boston for the most he has scored in any period this season:

Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe leading the way after Q1 🔥

In the first frame:
14 PTS (5-6 FG, 2-3 3PT), 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL

Here’s all 14 points from Q1 vs. Pacers tonight ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vYuNUnAOTz

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) December 13, 2025

After adding a third triple and a free throw in the second quarter, Edgecombe entered intermission at 18 points before drawing an end-of-quarter foul and reaching the 20-point mark in the third quarter.

Edgecombe being ready, willing and able to fill in the gaps when Maxey, Embiid and other Sixers handle the bulk of the scoring responsibilities is extremely impressive for a 20-year-old rookie. But the scoring flashes like the ones Edgecombe displayed on Friday are what could lead him to long-term stardom.

Odds and ends

Some additional notes:

• The ultimate statistical improbability: Jabari Walker shot eight free throws in his first six minutes of action, with his bruising nature and overall aggression inside doing him a lot of good. Walker and Dominick Barlow have both provided the Sixers with tremendous value on their two-way contracts, but Walker drawing fouls at will has typically not been part of that equation.

• George played a very good all-around game; he was the only Sixer not named Embiid or Edgecombe to provide any real offensive juice on Friday. Nothing he did stood out more than this absurd and-one jumper:

• Naturally, the Pacers ensured this was a hard-fought battle for the duration, and old friend T.J. McConnell, now in his 11th NBA season, was one of the reasons why. McConnell torched the Sixers with his signature mid-range jumpers and even added a three-point shot.

Up next: The Sixers will travel to Atlanta for a battle against the Hawks on Sunday evening before having another four-day layoff.

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