The last time Joel Embiid played a game in New York, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar declared his love.
“New York is my favorite city in the world,” Embiid said on April 30 after his Sixers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. “I’ve had a place here for the past five years, so I just love New York.”
New York, of course, hasn’t exactly loved Embiid back. He emerged as the villain of that 2024 playoff bout, particularly after he committed a Game 3 flagrant foul by pulling Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
Chants of “F–k Embiid” became an acrimonious anthem among fans at Madison Square Garden during that series, which the Knicks won in six games. Game 6 took place in Philadelphia.
“I love it,” Embiid said of the jeers after Game 5. “If I’ve got to be the punching bag and hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s OK. I love it.”
Embiid, 30, returned Saturday night for his first game in one of the five boroughs since that heated series, this time for a lower-stakes meeting with the Nets at Barclays Center.
And Embiid, ever the showman, brought his best.
The 7-foot center dominated with 28 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes in the Sixers’ 123-94 win over an undermanned Nets team. He went 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
“He loves to compete,” teammate Paul George said of Embiid, who did not speak to the media after the game. “It’s fun. He’s the best player out there and he’s having that competitive edge and those competitive juices flowing. It runs through the team.”
Embiid scored 15 points and corralled seven rebounds in the first quarter alone.
His driving, one-handed dunk put the Sixers up, 17-15, midway through the opening quarter, giving Philadelphia its first lead after falling behind 11-0.
His 3-pointer with 44.1 seconds left in the first quarter punctuated that 15-point period, and Embiid celebrated with an emphatic fist pump.
Embiid added 11 points in the third quarter and sat out the fourth with the game out of reach.
“The biggest thing that I like is that he’s driving the basketball,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. “He’s really hard to handle when he’s driving the ball. He’s getting deep in the paint. He’s drawing fouls.”
Much had transpired for Embiid in the eight months between his games in New York.
He helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics over the summer, most notably with a 19-point performance in a come-from-behind victory over Serbia in the semifinal.
Embiid then missed the start of the 2024-25 NBA regular season to manage his left knee, for which he underwent lateral meniscus surgery in February.
His season debut was further delayed after he was suspended for three games for shoving a columnist who had referenced Embiid’s son and late brother in a column questioning the athlete’s commitment and professionalism during his absence.
Embiid appeared rusty upon returning and, on Dec. 13, suffered a sinus fracture that has caused him to play with a protective mask, as he did Saturday.
Embiid is averaging 24.4 points per game this season through 13 appearances — his lowest mark since 2017-18. His 7.9 rebounds per game are his fewest since his rookie season, while his 45.2% field-goal percentage represents a career low.
But Embiid, who won NBA MVP in 2023, has been more productive of late. Saturday marked his fifth game in a row with at least 27 points and his second consecutive double-double.
It was another positive step for a championship-hopeful 76ers team that’s been among the NBA’s biggest disappointments thus far.
They improved to 14-19 with Saturday’s win but are now 7-3 in the games in which Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey all played.
Maxey had 18 points and seven assists Saturday, while George — who signed a four-year, $212 million contract with Philadelphia in the offseason — added 17 points and six assists.
Perhaps most tellingly, the Philadelphia bench erupted in celebration after a second-quarter dunk by Guerschon Yabusele, with an elated Embiid among those who pounded his chest.
“The injuries just haven’t been on our side, but I think we’re gelling,” George said. “We’re starting to enjoy each other out on the floor. The stuff off the court is starting to trickle on the court, and that’s a great sign.”
