Joel Embiid grabbed the offensive rebound and, before tumbling to the floor, muscled the put-back through contact and into the basket.
And as the 76ers’ center stepped to the line to shoot the and-1 free throw, faint “M-V-P!” chants resurfaced inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.
That conversion highlighted Embiid’s best game of the season — 39 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in Friday’s 115-105 win over the Indiana Pacers — when his team needed the boost while playing without ill star guard Tyrese Maxey. The big man’s first 30-point outing in nearly a calendar year also served as a flashback to the player he used to be, before multiple knee surgeries curtailed his dominance on both ends of the floor.
And a reminder of the player he can still be, at least every now and then?
“I feel like I can do it,” Embiid said from his locker after the game. “I think the dynamics [are] obviously different, at times. I want to play more as a team, so making sure everybody’s involved. If someone has to sacrifice, I will. But in some occasions, when I’ve got it going or nights like tonight, it’s going to happen.
“I don’t expect having to do this when everybody’s healthy. But I will if I have to.”
Embiid’s outburst came in his 10th appearance of an early season that already has been interrupted by scheduled missed games and a three-week absence due to a right (not left) knee issue. It also occurred after one of the worst shooting performances of his fabulous career, going 4 of 21 during Sunday’s loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Embiid shrugged that dud off in the immediate aftermath. Then, he utilized a rare four days between games to generate rhythm through team practices and individual workouts. The break also allowed a previously undisclosed finger issue that may have affected his shooting to heal, Embiid said during Friday’s postgame media session.
“Obviously, it’s easier to be consistent when everything is going well physically,” said Embiid.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, meanwhile, added a “couple little wrinkles” to foster a variety of Embiid scoring avenues that the coach is “always trying to continue to seek,” he said.
Friday night, that manifested in post-ups from both blocks. And in pick-and-roll actions in the middle and on the side of the floor. And in Embiid directing teammates such as Dominick Barlow to cuts for easy dunks. And in Embiid driving to draw fouls — and 13 free-throw makes — with an aggressiveness that signals the center is at his best, Nurse said.
“It came in a lot of different schemes [that the Pacers] threw at him,” Nurse said of Embiid’s performance Friday. “And I thought he read the different stuff pretty good most of the night.”
Embiid’s presence also helped unleash rookie VJ Edgecombe, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the first quarter while filling in for Maxey as the starting point guard. Embiid then amassed 15 points of his own in the second frame, including a step-back three-pointer that snapped a streak of 17 consecutive long-range misses.
During the third quarter, Embiid spun and scored early in the frame and later finished an off-balance and-1. And he complemented the Sixers’ stout down-the-stretch defense by sinking a baseline fadeaway jumper with less than a minute remaining, putting his team up by 10 points and earning a slap on the backside from Nurse.
Perhaps nobody was happier to see this version of Embiid resurface than Maxey, who entered Friday ranked third in the NBA in scoring (31.5 points per game) and first in minutes played (39.9 per game). During the game, Maxey posted “GOOD PROCESS!!” on X, then fielded a postgame phone call from his teammate and close friend.
Embiid also was spotted chopping it up with Edgecombe and Jared McCain in the postgame locker room, evidence of the connections forming during the Sixers’ 14-10 start.
“I won’t lie,” Embiid said. “Last year, I wasn’t happy all the time coming to work because of everything that was going on, whether it was on and off the court. This year, it’s a little different. I’ve got a great group of guys. I’m happier coming in here.”
Following a lengthy postgame treatment session, Embiid said his body feels “great” after playing a season-high 32 minutes. The real test, as always, will be how both knees respond Saturday morning. He reiterated the plan remains for him to take two days off between games, which means it would require at least a conversation in order for Embiid to be cleared to play Sunday at the Atlanta Hawks.
“It’s up to them,” said Embiid, adding he was “consistently pushing” his body during the four days leading up to Friday’s game. “If I can, I’ll fight for it. If I can, I’ll play. But if I’m not allowed or if I can’t, then it is what it is.”
But when the Sixers needed a boost from their former MVP while playing without Maxey for the first time this season, Embiid dropped a reminder of who he used to be.
And can still be, at least occasionally?
“People don’t understand how much work he does,” teammate Paul George said of Embiid, “ … when it comes to taking care of his body and trying to do whatever it takes to get on the floor and be available for us.
“Just happy that it showed out, [that he] got back to his usual self.”
