Joel Embiid and Paul George made their long-awaited return to the court as the Sixers enjoyed a convincing win over the Chicago Bulls. Embiid led the way, scoring 35 points, while George returned an impressive 28 and VJ Edgecombe added 22.
Here’s what stood out.
After missing 13-straight games, the return of Joel Embiid could not come soon enough for the Sixers. The team did well to stay afloat, managing a 6-7 record in that time, but without Embiid, this team is far from a legitimate playoff team, let alone a contender.
Embiid wasted no time reminding Sixers fans and the league of what he’s capable of, scoring 12 of the team’s first points and in three quarters of action, Embiid had managed 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting, six rebounds and seven assists. Embiid rested the entire fourth quarter, enjoying some old-school load management.
There was little sign of rust or lingering injury, outside of Embiid briefly holding his right side following his third bucket of the night. He looked like himself, truly, the Joel Embiid we’ve seen during the most convincing parts of this season. Not the MVP candidate, and not the defensive disrupter he was early in his career, but still an elite offensive weapon capable of elevating the Sixers with his play alone, though he didn’t have to tonight.
After serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, Paul George made his much-awaited return to the Sixers.
The day before his return, George held a press conference, where he apologized for his actions that resulted in the suspension while voicing his excitement for his return. Among his talking points, George discussed his physical health, saying he felt much improved after his suspension than he had during the season.
"I’m in a much better place physically, so I'm, from a personal standpoint, really excited about that,” George said. “This 25 games was just what I needed, I think, for my body to kind of heal and be in a better place. And I've been feeling great, I've been feeling awesome on the court. And so I'm looking forward to putting it to the test.”
There was some rust to knock off, as it was a bit of a slow shooting start for George, but as he has all season long, he continued to make an impact on the court. As the game would progress, George’s legs also made their return, and he soon found himself on a heater, finishing the night with 28 points on 11-22 shooting.
In all aspects, as a scorer, defender, and as a secondary facilitator, George’s contributions, in combination with Embiid’s, made the Sixers look like something they haven’t arguably been since February, a legitimate playoff team.
The return of his super-star teammates could have led to a step back in the rookie’s willingness to look for his own shot. Instead, Edgecombe took full advantage of the extra space as the Bulls defended Embiid and George.
Taking shots as they came, continuing to impact the game on both ends of the court and in every conceivable way to contribute, the rookie didn’t miss a beat despite his role once again changing.
Edgecombe continues to impress this season not only with his talent, but his poise and versatility. The Sixers will continue to rely on him as they make this last push towards the postseason.
The Sixers will head off to Charlotte for a Saturday night matchup against the Hornets. With Kon Knueppel and company trailing Philadelphia by just a game and a half after tonight’s win, the Sixers will need to be locked in on the road.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 28.
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.
For the latest on your Philadelphia 76ers, follow Zach on Twitter and Bluesky.
