Joel Embiid returns for 76ers from latest knee injury with 18 points in season-high 30 minutes

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 18 points and played a season-high 30 minutes for the 76ers on Sunday night against Atlanta after he missed the last nine games in large part because of a sore right knee.

Embiid had played in only six of the previous 18 games and averaged 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds for a Sixers team that has hovered around .500 without him.

The 76ers lost to Atlanta 142-134 in double overtime and fell to 4-3 with Embiid.

“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 about laterally, jumping and all that stuff. Tonight was a good step toward that.”

Embiid did not play at all in the second OT and his hampered mobility limited him to just four rebounds and one blocked shot. Tyrese Maxey scored all eight points for the Sixers in the second OT and had 44 overall.

The 76ers upgraded Embiid to questionable on the injury report on Sunday afternoon and the two-time NBA scoring champion was cleared to play 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.”

The 76ers played for the first time this season with their All-Star trio of Embiid, oft-injured Paul George and Maxey together in the starting lineup. George, who's been sidelined this season in his return from offseason knee surgery, scored 16 points.

Embiid last played in the 76ers' win over Toronto on Nov. 8 and was officially out the next night against Detroit because he wasn't cleared to play in back-to-backs in the wake of his recovery from April surgery on his left knee. The 2023 NBA MVP, the 76ers said it was Embiid's right knee soreness that kept him from playing until Sunday.

“I think they're just trying to get it to where he feels good enough to play,” coach Nick Nurse said.

The 76ers could use Embiid heading into a stretch where they play four games in the next seven days that include Washington, Golden State, Milwaukee and the Lakers.

The 31-year-old Embiid was limited to 19 games last season and had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April following an injury-plagued season that also included a sprained left foot and a sinus fracture. He was ruled out for the season in late February after averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Embiid has dealt with multiple injuries since even before he entered the NBA. He suffered a stress fracture in his right foot before he was drafted out of Kansas that cost him two years. From there, it was a bone bruise here, a meniscus tear there. A busted orbital bone. A sprained shoulder. Tendinitis. Torn ligaments. Even Bell’s palsy.

Even with all the injuries, the 76ers still signed Embiid in 2024 to a three-year, $193 million extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season that doesn't kick in until next season.

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