Joel Embiid returned to an NBA basketball court Tuesday for the first time this season.
But he didn’t return in game shape. Embiid struggled from the field and was sluggish in his first game of the season as the New York Knicks secured a 111-99 win over Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers in NBA Cup play.
After missing the first nine games of the season, Embiid finished with 13 points, three rebounds, five assists and one block. He shot 2-of-11 from the field and scored eight of his 13 points from the free-throw line. He played 26 minutes.
Embiid missed the first six games of the season for what the team described as “left knee management,” then the following three due to an NBA suspension for shoving a reporter.
Embiid got the start against the Knicks and was quickly winded from his first live basketball action since the Summer Olympics in Paris. He raised his hand to take a break at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter with New York holding a 12-6 lead. He was 0-for-2 with an assist and a turnover when he left the court.
Embiid walked to the locker room with a wrap around his left knee that was surgically repaired last season. His exit was brief, and he returned to play 13 total first-half minutes without hitting a field goal. He entered the break with eight points and four rebounds with all of his points arriving at the free-throw line. He missed all three of his first-half shots.
Embiid was active to start the third quarter but continued to miss shots en route to an 0-for-5 start from the field. His first bucket of the night and the season came on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer three minutes into the third quarter to cut the Knicks’ lead to 61-60.
But the highlights for Embiid were few and far between as Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns got the best of the battle of All-Star big men. The 76ers kept things close through three quarters, but the Knicks pulled away late with a 33-24 advantage in the fourth quarter.
76ers fans filed en masse out of the arena with 4:17 remaining and New York holding a 97-83 lead. Embiid sat the final 6:21 of the game.
The game marked the first time Embiid played alongside his new All-Star teammate Paul George, who arrived via an offseason trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. Philadelphia fans are still waiting to witness the debut of their new-look Big 3 as All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey watched from the bench with a hamstring injury that’s projected to sideline him for multiple weeks.
The good news Tuesday for the 76ers is that George looked excellent alongside Embiid in one of his best games since joining the team. George finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists while hitting 8-of-12 3-point shots. But it didn’t result in a win, and a 76ers team with title aspirations dropped to 2-8 to start the season.
The hope in Philadelphia lies in the prospect of Embiid, George and Maxey playing enough together to build chemistry, rally the 76ers to the playoffs and stay healthy in the postseason. It’s a murky prospect given the injury histories involved and Philadelphia’s stated plan to limit George’s and Embiid’s playing time, even when they’re healthy.
If he can stay healthy, there are certainly better days ahead for Embiid, who’s an MVP-caliber player at his best. The 76ers will need that version of Embiid to arrive quickly before their season spirals out of control.
