After a disastrous three-game road trip that brought controversy and three losses, the Sixers returned to their home base Monday night in search of their third win of the first month of the 2024-2025 regular season.

Before their matchup against old friend Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers made Joel Embiid questionable with the now infamous “left knee; injury management” designation. When the starting lineups were due 30 minutes before the start of the action, the Sixers ruled out Embiid. During the game, the team provided a sobering update on the franchise’s midpoint.

In Embiid’s absence, the Sixers got off to an excellent start, building a strong lead that turned into a notable deficit in about six minutes of play. The Sixers responded to Brooklyn’s haymaker with a goal of their own to take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. This game very much became basketball’s version of a see-saw in the final 18 minutes, but it was the Sixers who came out on top thanks to two players who arguably represent the best of the organization’s future. Here’s what stood out in the team’s much-needed 113-98 win:

Embiid is out of action again

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said during his pre-game press conference that Embiid would warm up before the game, and the team would then decide on his availability for the game – a statement made by someone who has coached Embiid more times than anyone else. also. count.

The exact back-and-forth went like this:

“Is Joel going to warm up, train and then you decide (his status)?” a reporter asked.

“Yes,” said nurse.

Embiid didn’t warm up before being ruled out. The reason would be announced later.

Yabusele and Oubre lead an excellent opening act

In Embiid’s place, the Sixers started Guerschon Yabusele at center. The starting lineup was completed by Tyrese Maxey – whose minutes limit would be increased slightly, Nurse said – along with Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin. Oubre replaced Paul George in the lineup for what is the first of two games for which the nine-time All-Star has been ruled out due to his second left knee contusion in as many months.

Believe it or not, the Sixers’ start in this game was about as strong as it could have been. Yabusele set the tone, knocking down a three for the first basket of the game. Moments later he knocked down another triple – and this one was a real rainbow:

Oubre was reinserted into Nurse’s starting five after a three-game cameo. He converted an early and-one, and after Yabusele missed a heat check three, he threw an emphatic putback:

Oubre did it all in his first five minutes, adding a steal and a pair of assists to his five points. However, he ran into foul trouble, which accelerated some of Nurse’s rotation adjustments.

The nurse is moving to Ricky Council IV earlier than ever, among other rotational adjustments

Council did some things to impress on Wednesday night in Memphis and is looking increasingly comfortable as he looks to establish himself as a rotation-ready player in his second NBA season. But the athletic wing’s arrival five minutes into the match came as a real surprise. Council and Eric Gordon were the Sixers’ first two changes, replacing Jared McCain and Oubre.

McCain returned very quickly alongside Reggie Jackson, replacing Caleb Martin – who made a trip to the locker room – and Maxey. McCain, the only Sixers starter who didn’t attempt a shot during their excellent five-minute offense to start the game, knocked down two threes almost immediately. The second came after a great hustle game from Yabusele:

McCain then knocked down his third 3-pointer of the game at the 8:16 mark of the second quarter. The rookie continues to do sensational things:

Plus, McCain threw this beautiful alley-oop to Andre Drummond for a bone-rattling slam:

Additionally, KJ Martin received his first regular rotation minutes in two weeks. The fifth-year forward had a strong trip on the West Coast, but since putting together back-to-back strong performances in his hometown of Los Angeles, he had been removed from the rotation. Martin’s athleticism, defensive versatility and short-roll passing could all make him useful for this team.

Sixers take the lead at halftime, but it could have been bigger

The Sixers led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and a key driver of that was Maxey, who scored 10 points in just 11 minutes with great efficiency: 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 shooting from beyond the arc – all within the flow of the offense. Maxey finally looked like himself, a welcome sign for a Sixers team that desperately needed him. After his second triple, he threw this transition slam:

Maxey’s dunk gave the Sixers a 51-38 lead with 3:27 left in the first half – their largest lead of the game to that point – but he checked out seconds later, and the rest of the half was a battle for the Sixers. who were on the wrong end of a 12-2 Nets run to end the second quarter.

Suddenly, the Sixers’ lead was down to three points at the break as they led 53-50.

A midgame Embiid update

As the second half began, the Sixers said Embiid was experiencing swelling in his left knee and that in addition to Friday night’s game against Brooklyn, the former NBA MVP would be sidelined Sunday night.

“Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee,” the team said update declared. “In consultation with the team’s medical staff, Embiid missed tonight’s game and will also miss Sunday’s game. He is receiving treatment and further updates on his status will be provided early next week.”

Well, that explains a bit, but also raises many more questions. Will Embiid never be able to handle even a semi-regular workload without his knee swelling up? Considering Embiid has five years left on his contract with a total remaining contract of around $300 million (including the current season), the situation is becoming increasingly ominous.

The Brooklyn run continues to kick off the second half, leaving the Sixers in a hole

If the Sixers thought their ending to the first half was poor, they had no idea what was about to start the second half: a Nets offense completely undeterred by the Sixers. Nurse had to call a timeout exactly three minutes into the third quarter, and his team suddenly trailed by nine points.

Between the final moments of the first half and the first few minutes of the second half, Brooklyn went on a 26-4 run against the Sixers’ expensive in about six minutes – a turnaround of 22 points.

Brooklyn’s surge was powered by a pair of players named Cameron: Johnson, the three-point shooter, was excellent all night, and Thomas, the young scoring player. enthusiast, found a bucket-getter groove after the break.

However, the Sixers had built such a lead that their disastrous stretch did not make them unable to come back. And then…

Maxey leads the Sixers push and takes back control of the game

The Sixers came back and regained their lead, and it started with an oddity: Drummond missed a wide-open dunk, drawing the ire of Sixers fans. But Oubre rushed to regain possession and threw a lob to Drummond, who didn’t make the same mistake twice. Maxey then ripped the ball away from Thomas and rushed the other end for a dunk, cutting Brooklyn’s lead to a point and forcing a Nets timeout:

After the timeout, Maxey scored the Sixers’ next five points – including an and-one in transition, putting the Sixers back in front and really igniting a crowd desperate for something to cheer about . Due to early struggles as the Sixers’ only consistent offensive options and a hamstring injury, Maxey has only been able to shut down one of his great players a handful of times this season. But he came out big here and helped the Sixers regain control of the game.

After three quarters, the Sixers had a 79-77 lead over the Nets.

Nets run to fourth down, but Sixers guards plant their feet

The Sixers’ two-point lead became a four-point deficit in the first 90 seconds of play in the final frame, with Gordon at the center of the team’s battle. Gordon couldn’t buy a bucket, even when one of the most talented three-point shooters in the NBA was left wide open from beyond the arc. He drew a lot of ire from the Sixers crowd and fumbled multiple chances to help the Sixers regain control.

The saving grace – again – came from McCain, who strung together two mid-range buckets to cut the lead to one and record his seventh consecutive 20-point game. Johnson responded with a basket, but Jackson knocked down his third triple of the game to tie things up:

The Sixers got tremendous energy from KJ Martin and Yabusele, both of whom crashed the glass with extreme aggression and helped generate additional scoring opportunities for their team. Ultimately, however, their guard play remained the driving force behind them.

McCain provided another burst in the fourth quarter, finishing a left-handed layup after Simmons blew a running hook shot and then knocked down his fifth three of the game, giving the Sixers a four-point lead and a time- out in Brooklyn was enforced:

After that timeout, the Sixers forced a turnover, leading to an easy transition layup for Maxey. When McCain stalled an isolation possession, he threw the ball to Maxey, who created a bucket all by himself. Maxey hit this three as he fell to the ground before McCain scored another mid-range bucket and then stabbed the dagger into the hearts of Brooklyn with another triple.

The two dynamic scoring guards took turns dissecting Brooklyn’s defense and leading the Sixers to their third win of the season.

It took 30 days, but the Sixers finally won a regular-season game under regular rules.

Next: The Sixers welcome James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers to town on Sunday night for their second game of the season against their former point guard. They will then host a young and exciting Houston Rockets team on Wednesday night.

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