Embiid drops season-high 39, leads 76ers past Pacers with Maxey out

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points, Paul George had 23 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 115-105 on Friday night.

VJ Edgecombe added 22 points for the 76ers, who played without Tyrese Maxey — the NBA’s third-leading scorer (31.5 points per game) sat out with an illness.

Pascal Siakam had 20 points for the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers, who dropped to 6-19.

Siakham’s jumper with 8:24 remaining gave Indiana a 100-95 lead, but the Pacers missed nine consecutive shots — including three 3-pointers — after that as the 76ers went on a 13-2 run. The spurt was capped with Embiid’s offensive rebound and follow basket. The 2023 MVP was fouled on the play and made the free throw to push Philadelphia's lead to 108-102.

Embiid, the seven-time All-Star who has been beset with injuries the last 1 1/2 seasons, came in averaging 18.2 points while playing in just nine of Philadelphia’s 23 contests due to left and right knee issues. However, he looked more like himself on Friday, hitting a step-back 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give him 14 points inn the second quarter.

Philadelphia improved to 6-4 with Embiid in the lineup.

The 76ers had four days off since losing 112-108 at home to LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday night, giving Embiid plenty of time for rest and recovery. He was upgraded after being probable on the pregame injury report.

George, who was drafted by Indiana and played there from 2010–2017, also looked more like the nine-time All-Star that he is by finishing with a season high in points following offseason knee surgery.

Philadelphia was 33 for 43 on free throws while Indiana was 16 for 19. Indiana’s frustration with the disparity in attempts was apparent in the final minutes, as head coach Rick Carlisle received a technical foul with just over three minutes left and Siakham was assessed with one with 1:41 remaining.

Up next

Pacers: Host Washington on Sunday.

76ers: At Atlanta on Sunday night.

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