Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, right, and New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns reach for the opening tip in Embiid’s first game of the season on Tuesday.
Matt Slocum | AP photo
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PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid returned to a rousing ovation from 76ers fans in his first game of the season, a start marred by injuries and suspension to the All-Star center that kept Philadelphia anchored at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Embiid wasted no time giving the Sixers a tantalizing glimpse against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night of what could be — a dish to fellow oft-injured All Star Paul George for a layup to open the game.
“He’s looked good,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid before the game. “He’s done a lot of work to get ready here. He looks pretty good. You’ve got to go out there and do it live.”
It didn’t result in a win this time as the Knicks won 109-99 in the opener of NBA Cup group play for both teams.
Embiid finished with 13 points and 26 minutes and was unable to lift the struggling Sixers, who fell to 2-8. He shot 2 of 11 and had only three rebounds. Paul George led the Sixers with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Hart added 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson scored 18 points.
Embiid, wearing a brace on his surgically repaired left knee, pointed skyward as he hit the court for pregame warmups and looked in shape and ready to roll for his debut.
He had already stuck around for extra work after shootaround. The 7-footer was in no rush to finish his drills.
Embiid shot free throws, worked on his post game and made soft jumpers during a Tuesday morning workout in preparation of his season debut and his first game playing with George, who joined the Sixers over the summer on a four-year, $212 million contract.
“It’s the right step in the right direction we’re trying to get to,” Sixers forward Caleb Martin said. “Obviously, excited to have someone like him back to our team.”
Embiid, George and fellow All-Star Tyrese Maxey, out with a right hamstring injury, were the 76ers’ version of a Big Three that was expected to make them one of the big favorites out of the East.
The trio instead has yet to play a game together.
“We’ve had our struggles without them,” Nurse said. “It’s important for us to get into some phase of figuring out what we look like with those guys all here and how that moves the other pieces around. What guys can get on the floor with who. try to start building some chemistry.”
The 76ers are coming off an overtime win over Charlotte but face an uphill climb into playoff contention.
There have been 20 teams in NBA history to make the playoffs after starting 1-6 or 0-7, though it’s been extremely rare in recent years. In the last 27 years, only three teams — the 2003-04 Miami Heat (0-7), the 2004-05 Chicago Bulls (0-7) and the 2021-22 New Orleans Pelicans (1-6) had such a start and went on to make the playoffs.
Embiid’s return can only force the push toward a winning record.
A seven-time All-Star, Embiid returns from what the team called left knee management and the end of a three-game suspension for shoving a member of the media.
By his own admission, Embiid says he won’t play back-to-back games this season, meaning he’ll sit out Wednesday against Cleveland. The next set of back-to-backs are Dec. 3 at Charlotte and a Dec. 4 home game against Orlando.
Play him at home in front of fans who paid exorbitant ticket prices this season to watch Andre Drummond at center, right?
No so fast.
Much like Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, the Hornets game was designated as part of the NBA Cup round-robin schedule.
The 76ers have been open since the preseason on how they intended to use Embiid this season — manage his minutes and games played to the point where they can safely navigate him to the postseason healthy for the first time in his career.
Nurse, the sports science departments and the front office face a thorny situation on deciding when Embiid will suit up this season. Plus, with Embiid, there’s no guarantee he simply won’t get injured again, a blow that would send the franchise closer to the draft lottery than chasing its first NBA championship since 1983.
Any potential setbacks with Embiid are worries for another day.
On Tuesday, Embiid banners decorated the Wells Fargo Center concourse and his teammates — and fans — were excited to have him play for the first time since he helped the U.S. win a gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
“You’ve got to expect there to be hiccups and kinks and stuff like that,” Martin said. “Understand that’s what comes with putting a new team together and bringing pieces back. Just expect the unexpected.”
Hey, it’s the 76ers’ way.
HAWKS 117, CELTICS 116
BOSTON — Onyeka Okongwu tipped in a missed shot with 6.1 seconds left, and Jaylen Brown missed a jumper at the buzzer as Atlanta overcame a 15-point, second-half deficit to beat Boston in an NBA Cup opener.
Dyson Daniels scored a career-high 28 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without star Trae Young.
Brown scored a season-high 37 points and Derrick White added 31 for Boston as it opened the in-season tournament on a green floor with a special parquet design. The defending NBA champions had a two-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the third time this season.
MAGIC 114, HORNETS 89
ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner scored 32 points and Jalen Suggs hit his first seven shots, including three 3-pointers, to lead Orlando to a win over Charlotte.
LaMelo Ball scored 16 of his 35 points in the first quarter for the Hornets in the opening round of Group A play in the NBA Cup. Coming off a career-high 38 points in Sunday’s overtime loss at Philadelphia, Ball added six rebounds and seven assists.
PISTONS 123, HEAT 121
DETROIT — Malik Beasley made a tiebreaking free throw with 1.1 seconds left in overtime after Miami was given a technical foul for calling a timeout when it had none left, and Detroit edged the Heat in an NBA Cup game.
Tyler Herro’s jumper put Miami up 121-119 with 1.8 seconds left, but after a timeout, Cade Cunningham hit Jalen Duren with an alley-oop on the inbounds pass.
The Heat then called the illegal timeout. Beasley hit the foul shot to put Detroit up 122-121, then added another free throw with 0.1 seconds left.
NHL
PENS TRADE ELLER
PITTSBURGH — The Washington Capitals have reunited with veteran center Lars Eller.
Washington sent a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for Eller, who spent seven seasons with the Capitals and helped the club win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2018.
The 35-year-old Eller had four goals and three assists in 17 games with Pittsburgh. He was in the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the Penguins in the summer of 2023.
Eller has 182 goals and 227 assists in 1,053 games with Montreal, Washington, Colorado and Pittsburgh. He remains a dependable two-way player and penalty killer and is rejoining a Washington team off to a hot start in the competitive Metropolitan Division. The Capitals entered play on Wednesday at 10-4-0, good enough for third in the division behind Carolina and New Jersey.
“We are excited to welcome Lars back to our organization,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “This move enhances our depth at the critical center position. Lars is a versatile player that we are confident will strengthen our team’s depth and competitiveness.”
The move could be the first of several for Pittsburgh, which began Wednesday just two points clear of the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Penguins were whipped 7-1 by Dallas on Monday night, a game in which the Stars poured in six goals in the first period.
Evgeni Malkin apologized for the team’s performance on Tuesday.
“I want to say sorry to the fans,” Malkin said. “They (watched) a really bad game. I hope we, together, find a good way, win tomorrow and start building the team better.”
Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas has tried to straddle a line that keeps the team competitive in the twilight of the careers of franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang.
The team’s wobbly start highlighted by the struggles of goaltender Tristan Jarry and a porous defense — the Penguins are tied with Montreal for a minus-21 goal differential, the worst in the league — could lead to more substantial changes. Dubas has been intent on trying to beef up the team’s prospect pool and sending out Eller for two picks down the road is another step in that direction.