In a game held less than two months ago, Joel Embiid scored 70 points.
Since then, he has made two appearances. This week, his Philadelphia 76ers had trouble scoring 70 points as a unit.
At least they defeated the New York Knicks 79-73 to win that ugly game. That ended Philadelphia’s run of three straight losses. In the previous game, the 76ers lost to New Orleans at home in the second quarter, behind by 35 points. Since Embiid’s 70-point performance, Philadelphia is 7-15, mostly as a result of the knee surgery that has prevented the current MVP from playing.
“The list seems to be growing longer every night, which is difficult for anyone’s mentality or psyche, but I won’t make any excuses,” head coach Nick Nurse said. For the previous four games, his club was also without All-Star Tyrese Maxey. “There are some excellent players who need to perform far better than they did.”
The fact that Philadelphia came back and only lost to the Pelicans by eight provided Nurse with some comfort, at least. The 76ers then defeated New York. However, Philadelphia is currently only a half-game ahead of Indiana in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers would therefore be just one slot above the play-in round if the season ended tonight.
The play-in round was introduced with the intention of keeping more teams in the postseason and arranging exciting, single-elimination games between teams that aren’t expected to go further into the playoffs. However, a few clubs from the play-in tournament lingered in the previous season. Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the conference finals, while Miami advanced all the way to the NBA Finals.
These two teams demonstrated that, since the tournament’s start in 2021, there has been a good degree of glamour. With the No. 7 seed in the West on the line, LeBron James and the Lakers took on Stephen Curry and Golden State that year.
The next season, Brooklyn—which included Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant—was in the play-in round. Before moving on to bigger and better things in 2023, the Lakers and Heat had to get through it.
Miami was actually defeated by Chicago in a winner-take-all match for the eighth seed after losing their play-in game. After defeating Milwaukee, New York, and Boston, the Heat lost to Denver in the Finals.
The play-in round of this season might be the most famously attended yet. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks are currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference alone; the Lakers and Warriors are right behind them. Phoenix, where Durant currently plays, is currently in sixth place, one game ahead of the play-in cutoff.
Additionally, Embiid might make it to the play-in round if Philadelphia finishes the East in the 7–10 area. Imagine the drama if James, Curry, Doncic, Irving, Durant, and Embiid all had to face the prospect of an early elimination while still thinking that their teams have what it takes to compete for the championship.
Naturally, Embiid still needs to return. He had knee surgery to repair a meniscus, and he hasn’t played since January 30. A few weeks prior, he said that he would attempt to play regardless of the 76ers’ position in the standings. He also expressed optimism that he would be able to take part in the Summer Olympics in the offseason.
Only eight of the 34 games that Embiid has played for Philadelphia in 2023–24 have ended in losses. Since the beginning of February, the 76ers have suffered 11 losses without their star center.