Feb 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) and guard Max Christie (00) in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid recorded a triple-double in his return as the Sixers held off the Dallas Mavericks to snap a two-game losing streak.
Here's what I saw.
- Justin Edwards' play makes you wonder whether his readiness factored into Philadelphia's decision to trade Caleb Martin on Tuesday afternoon. Get off long-term money at a position where you feel relatively fortified on more team-friendly deals. Edwards has popped so much that it's difficult to imagine a scenario where he doesn't get a standard NBA contract before the end of the season to officially initiate him into the Sixers' fabric.
Edwards did more of the same dependable things in the first half of this game that he's been doing all along. He stepped confidently into open threes when the ball came flying around the horn, capitalizing on good catch-and-shoot opportunities. He's found a balance between being confident enough to let it fly without stepping into "he's a jack" territory.
It takes maturity to not fall in love with the catch-and-shoot three against every long closeout. He faced scenarios in the first half in which one defender closed in hard and no one made the low-man rotation for Dallas, giving Edwards a path to attack the closeout on the baseline side. He read it well, waiting until the defender was in no position to recover before putting the ball on the deck.
He committed the occasional silly foul, as all rookies do. But, Edwards also showed a degree of discipline that other rookies might not in the same situation. For instance, Edwards was on Kyrie Irving when a pass swung his way. Rather than get handsy or close out with flat feet, Edwards kept his hands high and his gait spread, staying balanced without fouling against one of the most dynamic isolation scorers in the league.
- For a guy who hasn't played in a month, Joel Embiid's decision-making with the ball in his hands was a pleasant surprise. In some ways, it probably helps that Dallas threw just about every body they had at him at once on some possessions. Easier for teammates to cut and for you to find them over the top if all of the space is in the middle of the floor.
In all seriousness, his reads were timed well and, more importantly, correct. Philadelphia got great utility out of cross screens for Guerschon Yabusele around the baseline, Embiid finding him flashing to the block and rewarding the movement.
As the game progressed, the two-man game between the big guy and Tyrese Maxey found its stride. By the fourth quarter, Embiid was throwing between-the-legs bounce passes for Maxey to chase to the wing for pull-up threes. That's when you know they're cooking.
- Maxey paid that compliment forward, finding Edwards on a hit-ahead for a transition dunk. That was emblematic of an extremely balanced night for Philadelphia's star duo. Maxey with 33 points and 13 assists. Embiid with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his return.
- We're deep enough into the season and have seen enough nonsense that I'm not too willing to give Embiid a pardon for his urgency in his first game back. Maxey has set the tone for this team ever since the loss in Denver, and his teammates have followed his lead. Insert Embiid, and it just felt like there were times when he was operating at a much slower pace than Maxey was.
Pace and urgency are two different things, though. I understand the tug-of-war with pace. But, there's a difference between Maxey sprinting off a screen and practically leaving skid marks on the hardwoods because he's moving so purposefully and Embiid taking his good time to get into position. That's one player operating with a different sense of urgency than another is. And the thing about leadership is that Maxey is clearly embracing that crown on this team. If Embiid comes back and isn't following Maxey's lead, he's going to look worse for it.
- There were times when Embiid made the unselfish play, trying to take advantage of pinching from helpers by rocketing passes to the open teammate. But, none of that matters if the players around him just don't complement a slower, halfcourt style. I didn't find myself thinking there were really bad Embiid minutes in this game. But, he wore the plus/minus for a couple of awful lineups.
On one hand, the Sixers are undermanned. I get that you're running low on players. On the other hand, it's Nick Nurse's job to construct lineups that don't play flat around Embiid. And to Embiid's side of things, he has to be more assertive and call his own number in those minutes.
- This would've been a Sixers blowout had they not farted away so many defensive possessions. Just one mistake after another in this game. Fortunately for them, this version of Dallas stinks and is probably still reeling a bit from the Luka Doncic trade. But, you can't be screwing up rotations on swing passes and leaving guys open for catch-and-shoot threes. As the game came down to the closing moments, they lost the trees for the forest - the inverse of losing the forest for the trees. There's chaos, there's confusion. Sometimes guys will spring free. But, you can't be so concerned with stopping everything that you lose Klay freaking Thompson for open threes.
- A fan was escorted out by arena security (or police, I don't know) because he refused to sit down in the middle of his row. His row was smack-dab in the middle of a section, blocking the views of fans behind him for multiple minutes. Full disclosure, I have no idea why he was being a bozo or what was said. But, it was total bozo behavior. Imagine being an adult and causing a scene because you refuse to sit down and not block others' views of the game. Embarrassing, sit the hell down. Second game in a row that fans have caused a scene that needed to be escalated to security. Take a hike.
The Sixers (20-29) will host the Miami Heat (24-23) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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