Joel Embiid returned to action Sunday night, scoring 18 points and logging a season-high 30 minutes for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Atlanta Hawks after missing nine straight games with a sore right knee.
Embiid had appeared in just six of the previous 18 contests, averaging 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds for a Sixers team that has hovered around .500 without him. Philadelphia fell 142–134 in double overtime to Atlanta, dropping to 4–3 in games Embiid has played this season.
“It feels like the first game of the season,” Embiid said. “I’m just happy that I got a chance to play the game of basketball. Build on it. You go from there, the next game. Whether the shots fall or not, I don’t really judge myself on if the shots fell or not. It’s about how I moved laterally, jumping and all that stuff. Tonight was a good step toward that.”
Embiid did not play in the second overtime, and limited mobility restricted him to four rebounds and one blocked shot. Tyrese Maxey carried the scoring load late, accounting for all eight of Philadelphia’s points in the second extra period and finishing with 44 overall.
The Sixers upgraded the Cameroonian center to questionable earlier Sunday before clearing the two-time scoring champion following his pregame workout.
“You can put your head down and whine about it (or) keep working hard to get back at it, as close as possible,” Embiid said. “What can you do? The only thing you can do is keep doing the right things, focusing on the right things and go from there.”
Sunday marked the first time this season Philadelphia started its All-Star trio of Embiid, Paul George and Maxey together. George, who has also battled injuries since returning from offseason knee surgery, added 16 points.
Embiid last played in a Nov. 8 win over the Toronto Raptors and was subsequently held out of back-to-back games as part of his recovery from April surgery on his left knee. The NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner in 2023 was sidelined primarily by right knee soreness until Sunday.
“I think they’re just trying to get it to where he feels good enough to play,” coach Nick Nurse said.
Philadelphia now faces a demanding stretch with four games in seven days against the Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
The 31-year-old has endured a string of injuries dating back to before he entered the NBA, including a stress fracture in his right foot that sidelined him for his first two seasons after being drafted out of Kansas. Since then, he has battled a meniscus tear, orbital fracture, shoulder sprain, tendinitis, torn ligaments and even Bell’s palsy.
Despite the setbacks, the 76ers signed Embiid in 2024 to a three-year, $193 million extension that includes a player option for the 2028–29 season and begins next year.
