Joel Embiid is set to make his season debut Tuesday when the Philadelphia 76ers host the struggling New York Knicks.
Tuesday’s game is part of the NBA Cup, which features six groups of five teams. The Sixers and Knicks are part of East Group A, along with the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, and Charlotte Hornets. This group-play contest is also a clash between two teams looking to shake off slow starts.
Philadelphia’s plan to showcase the dynamic trio of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George has been delayed. Embiid missed the entire preseason and the first nine regular-season games, initially managing left knee soreness and then serving a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter.
George (knee) missed the first five games and has played in the last four, but Maxey recently suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him for several weeks.
These availability issues have left the Sixers in an early-season slump. They blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead against Charlotte on Sunday before recovering to win 107-105 in overtime, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Embiid averaged a career-high 34.7 points and 11.0 rebounds last season despite being limited to 39 games due to injury. He had an outstanding shooting year, hitting 52.9 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 88.3 percent from the free-throw line, while also averaging career highs in assists (5.6) and steals (1.2).
Embiid’s first challenge will be to seek revenge on the Knicks, who eliminated the Sixers in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
New York’s Jalen Brunson averaged 35.5 points and 9.0 assists in that six-game series, while Josh Hart (16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists) was a force all over the court. Embiid averaged 33.0 points and 10.8 rebounds, while Maxey contributed 29.8 points per game.
The Knicks have been tested early this season, losing three of their last four games, including double-digit defeats to the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers.
Brunson (33 points) and first-year Knick Karl-Anthony Towns (30 points) led New York in Sunday’s 132-121 defeat to Indiana, as the team struggled with its own 7-of-25 shooting from 3-point range while the Pacers went 21-of-46 from beyond the arc.
