Joel Embiid came back to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup on Tuesday night, making his first start in almost two months after having knee surgery as the reigning NBA MVP.
Embiid got the green light to play before Philadelphia’s game against Oklahoma City and took the court for the first time since getting injured in the Sixers’ last game in January.
The Philadelphia star ended with 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 29 minutes as the Sixers came back for a 109-105 win against the Thunder. Embiid went 12-for-12 from the free-throw line and made four free throws in the final 37 seconds to change a 105-104 disadvantage into a 108-105 lead.
The Sixers dropped in the Eastern Conference standings without him. A team striving for a top-four spot in the East before Embiid’s injury, the Sixers are 14-27 overall without him this season and 11-18 since he was injured in a Jan. 30 loss at Golden State.
“I want to put him out there and assess where we’re at,” coach Nick Nurse said.
Sixers fans were prepared for the return of the All-Star center, chanting “MVP! MVP!” as Embiid warmed up. The Sixers played without All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey (hip tightness).
The Sixers started Tuesday ranked eighth in the East with seven games left this season and appear ready to participate in the play-in tournament. The No. 7 seed competes against the No. 8 seed. The winner advances and takes the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The loser has another opportunity.
“I usually don’t stress about the seeding stuff,” Nurse said. “There is some common sense here that we need to get this team ready, whatever that means, to be the best they can be, if there’s a postseason.”
Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, has averaged 35.3 points and 11.5 rebounds this season. He achieved a franchise record of 70 points accompanied by 18 rebounds on Jan. 22 in a 133-124 win over San Antonio.
“He’s a really good defensive player. He’s a very good rim-protector,” Nurse said. “I think just his presence limits the quantity of number of drives you have at the basket. That’s always a really good starting point.”
Embiid underwent meniscus surgery on Feb. 6 after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga landed on the 7-footer’s left leg. Before that, Embiid had been sidelined due to left knee swelling in Philadelphia’s two previous games.
“One thing I give our team credit for is, they’ve kept fighting, with the idea of, let’s get better, let’s get better and when he gets back, we’ll be ready to go,” Nurse said. “There’s been a couple kind of punches to the gut along the way on that. For the most part, I’m super-happy with the way they’ve prepared and focused and the effort they’ve given.”
LAKERS 128, RAPTORS 111
TORONTO — LeBron James scored 23 points, Anthony Davis had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Los Angeles defeated Toronto for a seventh win in eight games.
D’Angelo Russell shot 7 for 14 from 3-point range and scored 25 points, Rui Hachimura had 14, and Max Christie 12 as the Lakers handed slumping Toronto a 14th straight loss.
The NBA’s career scoring leader, James shot 10 for 12 and had nine assists.
James arrived after making his career-best nine 3-pointers in the previous game and only attempted one long-range shot against the Raptors, which he made in the third quarter.
Davis didn't play in the fourth quarter, and James left the game with 9:22 left in the final period, as the Lakers were ahead 109-82. The team will play against the Washington Wizards next.
RJ Barrett scored 28 points and Immanuel Quickley added 20 for the Raptors, who had a 17-game losing streak in 1997-98, which remains their worst in history.
Gary Trent Jr. didn't play, while Barrett and Quickley returned after missing time due to personal reasons and reconditioning. They together scored 17 points in the first quarter, but the Lakers finished the quarter with an 18-4 run to lead 34-25.
The Lakers led 64-58 at halftime. James and Davis each scored nine points in the third quarter as the Lakers extended their lead to 100-79 after three quarters.
The Raptors were missing five injured players, including starters Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl. Jontay Porter, a Toronto two-way player, missed his fifth consecutive game due to an investigation for gambling allegations.
In the fourth quarter, Raptors' guard Bruce Brown had to leave the game because of a sore right knee.
Lakers forward Cam Reddish was absent for personal reasons, while guard Gabe Vincent didn't play as he is coming back from left knee surgery.
WIZARDS 117, BUCKS 113
In the game against Milwaukee, Corey Kispert scored 27 points and Deni Avdija added 23 for Washington, aiding in a win despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple-double.
Antetokounmpo had 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, achieving a triple-double by the end of the third quarter. However, it wasn't enough as Washington triumphed over Milwaukee, who was ahead of Cleveland by 2 1/2 games in the Eastern Conference.
Jordan Poole scored 16 points and had a career-high 13 assists for Washington, while Jared Butler contributed 17 points off the bench. Tristan Vukcevic, a 7-foot rookie from Serbia, who the Wizards signed last month, scored 14, surpassing his previous career high of six.
Washington was leading 58-54 at halftime, and then started the third quarter with a 12-1 run to extend the lead to 15. Milwaukee struggled with their 3-point shots, making only 11 out of 48, but managed to make a few towards the end of the third quarter, including Jae Crowder’s shot at the buzzer that reduced the lead to five.
The gap narrowed to two in the fourth quarter, but Washington managed to maintain the lead. A 3-pointer by Kispert set the score at 113-106, and Milwaukee, being behind by four in the final minute, lost possession as Antetokounmpo lost the ball inside.
The Bucks regained possession and called a timeout with 21.9 seconds left. Khris Middleton scored a layup, but Anthony Gill got free behind Milwaukee’s press for a layup with 8.3 seconds remaining, increasing the lead back to four.
Milwaukee played without star guard Damian Lillard due to a right groin strain, and Kyle Kuzma was out for the Wizards due to a right heel contusion. Bucks coach Doc Rivers mentioned Lillard could return as early as Wednesday night.
The Bucks misplaced Patrick Beverley in the third quarter when Poole skidded while driving towards the basket and collided with Beverley's left leg. Both players were rattled, but Poole was able to continue playing.