With Joel Embiid back in the lineup, the Philadelphia 76ers put together a dominant effort against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, securing their second straight win.
The Sixers won in thrilling fashion on Sunday over Minnesota and rolled into Tuesday's matchup just as hot. Even with Embiid reinserted into the lineup, the team didn’t skip a beat, enjoying a well-balanced offense that saw him combine with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for 82 points.
Philadelphia recovered well defensively after allowing 38 points in the first quarter, but it was their well-balanced offense that won them the game.
Embiid missed five straight games due to shin soreness before returning in this matchup. He showed some rust, but still scored efficiently and was fantastic as a passer.
As he knocks off this rust that can only come with playing in NBA games, Embiid will see his endurance improve and will be a plus-level rim protector for a lot longer than he managed in this game.
The Sixers will only go as far as Joel Embiid takes them, and The Process is taking a new approach to do whatever he can to begin the postseason healthy. Still, they’ll need him in more regular-season matchups like this game to ensure they remain out of the play-in tournament.
In addition to Embiid’s impressive performance, Maxey and Edgecombe continued their aggressive push from Sunday night.
Maxey led all scorers with 32 points, missing a rebound and two assists from a triple-double, while Edgecombe added 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. While he was just two of eight from three-point range, Maxey looked well-rested and focused on creating separation between the two teams. Edgecombe, meanwhile, continues his streak of aggressive play and is now averaging 20.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over his last four games, shooting 50 percent from three in that time.
Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes combined for another 28 points, rounding out a well-balanced offensive effort. Oubre has been a consistent cog for the Sixers all season long, while Grimes is only recently coming out of a prolonged slump. Grimes is averaging 14.8 points, shooting 43.5 percent from deep.
The Sixers desperately need alternative sources of offense outside of Maxey to avoid another midseason slump, as they saw before these two consecutive wins.
Philadelphia returns home after taking two of three on the road. The Sixers will host the Miami Heat in a pivotal matchup as Philly clings to a top-six seed while the Heat are looking to get out of the play-in conversation.
Miami fell to Milwaukee Tuesday night and will be ready to try and get back within half a game of Philadelphia with a win in their upcoming matchup. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
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