Philadelphia 76ers‘ leading scorer Tyrese Maxey missed his first game of the season Friday night. Thankfully, the team’s other, older All-Stars were ready to pick up the slack in a 115-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points while Paul George put up 23 points and hit four threes. It was only Embiid’s 10th game of the season and George’s ninth, but the duo played like the stars they’ve been in the past as the Sixers closed the game on a 15-3 run.
Joel Embiid looked like his old self in the win
Embiid took on the scoring load in the absence of Maxey, who’s averaging 31.5 points and taking 22.9 shots per game for the 76ers this season. The 2023 MVP shot 12-of-23 while grabbing nine rebounds. He got to the foul line for 18 free throw attempts, dominating the Pacers frontcourt.
In a battle with NBA blocks leader Jay Huff, Huff rejected Embiid twice, but also sent the Philly big man to the foul line for eight free throws. Embiid shot 2-for-8 from three-point range — not great, but those were the first two three-pointers he’s made since returning from injury on Nov. 30. Still, his 10-for-15 shooting from two-point range was quite impressive.