The final time Joel Embiid performed a recreation in New York, the Philadelphia 76ers famous person declared his love.
“New York is my favorite city in the world,” Embiid stated on April 30 after his Sixers beat the Knicks at Madison Sq. Backyard in Sport 5 of their first-round playoff collection. “I’ve had a place here for the past five years, so I just love New York.”
New York, in fact, hasn’t precisely beloved Embiid again. He emerged because the villain of that 2024 playoff bout, significantly after he dedicated a Sport 3 flagrant foul by pulling Knicks heart Mitchell Robinson to the bottom.
Chants of “F–k Embiid” grew to become an acrimonious anthem amongst followers at Madison Sq. Backyard throughout that collection, which the Knicks received in six video games. Sport 6 befell in Philadelphia.
“I love it,” Embiid stated of the jeers after Sport 5. “If I’ve got to be the punching bag and hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s OK. I love it.”
Embiid, 30, returned Saturday night time for his first recreation in one of many 5 boroughs since that heated collection, this time for a lower-stakes assembly with the Nets at Barclays Middle.
And Embiid, ever the showman, introduced his finest.
The 7-foot heart dominated with 28 factors on 8-of-16 capturing, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in 29 minutes within the Sixers’ 123-94 win. He scored 15 factors and corralled seven rebounds within the first quarter alone.
Embiid’s driving, one-handed dunk put the Sixers up, 17-15, halfway via the opening quarter, giving Philadelphia its first lead after falling behind 11-0.
His 3-pointer with 44.1 seconds remaining within the first quarter punctuated that 15-point interval, and Embiid celebrated with an emphatic fist pump.
Within the second quarter, an elated Embiid leaped within the air and pounded his chest after teammate Guerschon Yabusele delivered a two-handed dunk.
Embiid added 11 factors within the third quarter and sat out the fourth with the sport already out of attain.
A lot had transpired for Embiid between his video games in New York.
He helped lead Group USA to a gold medal on the Paris Olympics over the summer season, most notably with a 19-point efficiency in a come-from-behind victory over Serbia within the semifinal.
Embiid then missed the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA common season to handle the left knee he underwent meniscus surgical procedure on in February.
His season debut was additional delayed after he was suspended for 3 video games for shoving a columnist who had referenced Embiid’s son and late brother in a column questioning the athlete’s dedication and professionalism throughout his absence.
Embiid appeared rusty upon returning and, on Dec. 13, suffered a sinus fracture that has induced him to play with a protecting masks, as he did Saturday.
Embiid entered Saturday averaging 24.1 factors via 12 video games — his lowest mark since 2017-18. His 7.6 rebounds per recreation and 44.8% capturing proportion each represented profession lows.
However Embiid, who received NBA MVP in 2023, has been extra productive of late. Saturday marked his fifth recreation in a row with at the very least 27 factors and his second consecutive double-double.
It was one other step for a 76ers staff that’s been among the many NBA’s greatest disappointments so far.
The championship-hopeful 76ers are nonetheless solely 14-19, however they improved to 7-3 within the video games by which Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are all energetic. Maxey had 18 factors and 7 assists Saturday, whereas George added 17 factors and 6 assists.
The star-powered trio stays a piece in progress however demonstrated chemistry Saturday.
“Tyrese usually waits, and goes in the second half,” head coach Nick Nurse stated earlier than the sport. “He’s a second-half guy. Joel’s usually a guy at the start. We’ve got to figure out where PG fits into that. I think he’s been trying to get himself going early in games. I’m not sure that’s been that great for us. We’ve just got to keep monitoring all that stuff.”
Ultimately, the 76ers will go so far as Embiid takes them. Saturday’s dominating effort was the most recent proof of that.
