News 76ers Team Notes

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers lose second straight, allowing Bulls 10-0 run to close game

(Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 12
VJ Edgecombe – 3
Andre Drummond – 2
Joel Embiid – 2
Paul George – 2
Dominick Barlow – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Jared McCain – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

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Deja vu. The Philadelphia 76ers drop another close game to the Chicago Bulls, falling 109-102 on Friday night.

It was another questionable game from the Sixers, from missing a ton of shots throughout and playing some horrific defense at times to allowing the Bulls to go on a 10-0 run to close out the game. Just really not inspiring basketball.

VJ Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow and Quentin Grimes all returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game due to illness. Joel Embiid, despite being questionable pregame due to right knee injury management, was also available.

This one was a back-and-forth battle of runs for the most part, but the Bulls had the important run when it mattered the most. Absolutely everyone, including the guys up for Bell Ringer here, choked in some way or another down the stretch for Philadelphia tonight.

All that being said, if you’re looking for a game recap, you can find that here!

The 16-13 Sixers face a tough one next, taking on the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (26-5) on Sunday afternoon. That will be the second game of this five-game road trip for Philly.

Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.

Joel Embiid: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Joel Embiid was in the starting lineup Friday after being listed as questionable for right knee injury management until just before the game. The big fella hyperextended his knee on a play in the Sixers’ embarrassing loss on Tuesday to the Brooklyn Nets, briefly heading to the locker room before surprisingly returning to the game.

He looked relatively comfortable tonight (by current standards, of course). There were a few moments of scares with Embiid in pain grabbing his knee, but he played like it wasn’t bothering him too much between those. In the first half, the big fella was battling for finishes at the rim, drawing fouls and hitting jumpers, leading the floor with 16 points on 6-for-10 field goal shooting and 1-for-1 three-point shooting at the break.

Is he as explosive or athletic as he was a few years ago? No, of course not. That’s just the reality. But he’s still finding ways to contribute. He put up 31 points in 32 minutes tonight shooting 10-for-19 FG and 2-for-4 3PT in addition to drawing fouls off the Bulls (9-for-9 from the line), and put up some really great screens off the ball.

Joel Embiid with the pump fake to create the 3-point play pic.twitter.com/UVTIKFnJmP

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 27, 2025

Tyrese Maxey: 27 points (5 triples), 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks

Maxey, unfortunately, started this one as cold as he looked in Tuesday’s season-worst performance. Fortunately, he was able to turn it around by the second frame. After going just 1-for-7 from the floor in the opening period with questionable shot selection, Maxey started to look more himself approaching halftime. He shot 3-for-4 field goals in the second frame to bring his total to 12 points by the break.

He came out for the second half with a different energy than that with which he started the game, sinking a running pull-up triple in transition with zero hesitation. And he kept shooting them from long range, ending up with five three-pointers in this one. Once those were falling, the drives to the rim came with more frequency and to more success with them. A much better showing than Tuesday from Maxey, to say the least.

He finished Friday’s contest with 27 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two blocks in this one. He played 40:21.

Tyrese Maxey hits his fourth triple of the night here in Q3! pic.twitter.com/m0HAer2cYW

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 27, 2025

Dominick Barlow: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, +10

I have to give Dominick Barlow his flowers for continuing to be such a positive impact for this Sixers squad. He’s not going to score 20 points or have the flashiest highlights most games, but he’s been in the right spots making the right plays time and time again. Tonight was no exception. He is constantly aggressive on the boards, getting up put-backs and/or drawing fouls in the process. The same energy level is brought to his defense every night. Tonight, in a game that the Sixers lost 109-102, Barlow was a team-leading +10.

He had seven points on 2-for-3 field goal shooting and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe with six rebounds (three offensive), two assists and three steals.

Dominick Barlow is a maniac pic.twitter.com/W4xo3gx1kG

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 27, 2025

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ia-chicago-bulls-nba-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Do the Sixers have an identity issue?

At this point, calling Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George a “Big 3” is highly offensive to real trios of superstars that have taken the floor together for other teams. But that was at least what Daryl Morey and company envisioned when George signed with the team in the 2024 offseason. But that vision has been far from reality and we’re now almost a year and a half into the tenure of all three players on the Sixers.

It’s pretty dark when you think of it that way. George is in his age 35 season and signed for two more seasons after the current one. Even the optimist on the George contract probably didn’t see him producing at an All-Star level in 2026-27 and 2027-28. Toss in Embiid last year playing the fewest amount of games in a single season since he first stepped on an NBA floor and it was pretty understandable to see why Maxey was the only one of the three players that generated enthusiasm from the fanbase entering this season.

If you chose to view the glass as half full coming into 2024-25, and I doubt many did, your stance was probably something along the lines of “Embiid can’t possibly miss more time this year, right?” and “PG can’t really be worse than he was last season, right?” Well, yes, Embiid is likely to play in more than just the 19 games he played last season, having already appeared in 13 this season before he hit the new year. George has been about the same as he was last season, contributing mostly on defense and shooting percentages that are lower than what he was shooting in Los Angeles. So, I guess that means he hasn’t been worse than he was last season.

The problem is, last season was so bad for Philadelphia, and for Embiid and George individually, that the two players barely clearing last year’s standards of performance isn’t inspiring much confidence for their 2025-26 seasons. After Friday night’s loss to the Bulls, there’s a decent chance the Sixers do not win a game in the 2025 portion of the season in which all three of Embiid, George and Maxey are on the floor.

On one hand, it’s pretty explainable. Head coach Nick Nurse probably feels an obligation to involve Embiid and George, not only because of their salaries, but there have been glimpses — more so from Embiid this season than George — of why those players are paid what they are paid. Embiid had 31 points in 32 minutes of action in the Windy City on Friday night. He hasn’t been as explosive defensively, but he’s been better on that end of the floor of late. He won’t come close to MVP contention this season, but he might do enough on certain nights to remind everyone why he has won the award in the past. In other words, there’s enough from Embiid and George during some games for Nurse to want them heavily involved. But heavily involving the two of them limits how effective Maxey can be offensively and Maxey is far and away the most consistent of the three players at this point in their careers.

In each of the last two games, Friday night in Chicago and Tuesday night at home against Brooklyn, Maxey, George and Embiid all dressed for Philadelphia. Maxey scored below his season average in both games and shot a combined 12-for-38 in the two losses.

The same could probably be said for the other exciting young guard in Philly’s backcourt, VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe did not play on Tuesday night against the Nets but went 4-for-13 from the field and was a -15 in Chicago on Friday night. The other two games that Philadelphia lost with its “Big 3” available were a game earlier in December against the Lakers and one at the end of November against Atlanta. Edgecombe played in both of those games and attempted just six field goals against Atlanta and was just 5-for-13 from the field against the Lakers in 38 minutes of action.

But let’s not put this all on Embiid and George. It’s easy to blame expensive veterans when the team results aren’t there, but it should be noted that prior to the two losses this week, Philadelphia was 5-4 in games Maxey and Embiid both played in without George and 6-3 in games Maxey and George both played in without Embiid. Additionally, while no one may want to hear this, all four losses with Maxey, George and Embiid on the court this season have been by single digits. Granted, Brooklyn was large and in charge on Tuesday night, but the losses to the Bulls and Lakers were tightly contested into the final minutes and the loss to Atlanta went to double overtime. A couple plays here and there could have flipped two of these games to wins and 2-2 with all three players on the floor suddenly doesn’t feel like an identity crisis.

It’s also important to point out that in the double overtime loss to Atlanta, the minutes of Embiid and George were being monitored in a game that was 10 minutes longer than the standard 48 minutes. Against the Lakers, Embiid simply had a rough shooting night — average night from Embiid from the field probably gives the Sixers a win there without anyone else contributing more.

There are a variety of other factors that should be considered here as well when discussing the team’s 0-4 record in games Embiid, George and Maxey all appear in. Are we asking enough questions about Nurse’s performance this season? I’m not calling for a coaching change, but it is the job of the head coach to get the most out of his roster and find ways to maximize his players. The above research on Maxey and Edgecombe’s performances in games with Embiid and George on the floor would suggest that Nurse has not done a good job of empowering his young guards in every game this season.

Additionally, while lots of attention will always be on Embiid, George and Maxey for as long as they’re all teammates, a little more help on some of these nights could have again flipped two of the four losses to wins. Against the Bulls this past Friday night, Embiid, George and Maxey all scored in double figures. The only other Sixer to score in double figures in the game was Edgecombe, who just got there with 10 points on an inefficient shooting night. In the loss earlier this month to the Lakers, Quentin Grimes played 29 minutes off the bench and shot just 1-for-6 from three-point land. Justin Edwards and Adem Bona got 20 and 19 minutes of action respectively on Tuesday against Brooklyn. Edwards was a -9 in his 20 minutes and Bona was a -10. Jared McCain has not been able to pick up where he left off last year. Perhaps what’s most disappointing about all of this is that Andre Drummond has actually been pretty solid for Philly too. But there just haven’t been enough steps forward by some of the young players who are not named Maxey or Edgecombe. Sure, some of that could again be Nurse not getting the most out of them, but the players are also not innocent bystanders.

So, to answer the question, do the Sixers have an identity issue? They might. But it’s also probably too early to say. They’re 16-13 following the loss to the Bulls and they got to 13 losses a lot faster than their 29th game in 2024-25. For as open as the East feels this season, it’s hard to complain with a regular season that sees Philly tread water and do enough to finish with one of the top six seeds in the conference and avoid the play-in tournament if that’s where this is headed.

However, there’s also a world in which the issues with Embiid, Maxey and George all playing do not get fixed. It’s not impossible to see the Sixers miss the play-in tournament all together or certainly lose quickly in it. In this kind of one step forward, two steps backwards season, Nurse probably gets pink slipped in the spring, and the Sixers move forward hoping someone else can make the most out of the situation next season. Of course, I’m sure they’ll try to get off of the final two years of George’s contract, but this is the bed they’ve made for themselves.

Right now it’s a bed that’s comfortable enough to sleep in 2-3 days a week, but impossible to sleep in for the other 4-5 days in the week. Maybe they’ll get more comfortable as the season wears on. If not, 2025-26 is going to be a bumpy ride to nowhere.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ty-issue-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey-paul-george

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Joel Embiid out Sunday against Thunder

Philadelphia will be missing a big piece of its starting lineup when they square off against the defending champion Thunder Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma City. On Saturday evening, the Sixers designated Joel Embiid as out due to right knee injury management and a right ankle sprain. Paul George was listed as probable by the team, with Kelly Oubre Jr and Trendon Watford remaining out.

The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow's game @ OKC:

Joel Embiid – right knee injury management; right ankle sprain – OUT

Paul George — left knee injury management — PROBABLE

Kelly Oubre Jr. – left knee sprain – OUT

Trendon Watford – left adductor strain – OUT

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 27, 2025

While the knee management has obviously been an ongoing issue, this injury report is the first mention of the ankle sprain, presumably something Embiid suffered in Friday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. Joel tied a season-high with 32 minutes played in Chicago, scoring 31 points. There was no mention of an ankle issue at the time, as he closed the game in the 109-102 defeat.

Embiid has appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 21.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks. His current 27.0 minutes per game would be his lowest mark since his 2016-17 rookie season, and Sunday will be his 17th game missed for the 16-13 Sixers. While Joel is on pace to far exceed his 19 games played last season, appearing in less than half the team’s games has to be hurting the team’s cohesion and continuity to some degree. Unfortunately, there are no signs of the situation dramatically altering at any point soon, as the Sixers and Embiid himself are subject to the whims of how his body feels on a daily basis. Following the Oklahoma City contest, the Sixers will next play in Memphis on Tuesday night.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76ers-injury-report/83099/joel-embiid-out-sunday-against-thunder

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers-Thunder: First Half Thread

Game Details​

When: Sunday, December 28, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76ers-discussion-threads/83113/sixers-thunder-first-half-thread

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers Bell Ringer: First half effort of Tyrese Maxey, Sixers bench bright spot in loss to OKC

2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 12
VJ Edgecombe – 3
Joel Embiid – 3
Andre Drummond – 2
Paul George – 2
Dominick Barlow – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Jared McCain – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

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Well… the first half was kind of fun, at least.

The Philadelphia 76ers fell 129-104 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon.

The Sixers were right in there with the defending NBA champions through the first half, led by Tyrese Maxey putting up 23 points on 8-for-10 field goal shooting by the break. By midway through the third, things started to slide a bit in favor of the Thunder, with OKC building a double-digit lead. By the halfway point of the final frame, the Thunder had amassed a 25-point lead. It was a really valiant first half effort from Philadelphia, but OKC simply took over the game in the second.

If you’re looking for a full game recap, you can check that out here.

Let’s get to the Bell Ringer.

Tyrese Maxey: 28 points (10-for-18 FG), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals

Tyrese Maxey got off to a stellar two-way start, leading all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-7 field goal shooting with three steals in the first frame. He stayed red hot, carving through the Thunder defense with seemingly relative ease. By halftime, he continued to lead the floor with 23 points on stellar 8-for-10 field goal and 2-for-3 three-point shooting to go with two rebounds, three assists and three steals. His second half was not as strong (no one’s was from the Sixers) as the Thunder were able to completely clamp down on him defensively, but he still led the Sixers’ scoring by far with 28 points overall.

We know Maxey’s offense always has the potential to be this explosive, of course, but his defensive effort in this one was extremely strong as well. He looked extremely aggressive on the ball and has continued to develop his ability to lurk, read the opposing offense and intercept passes off the ball.

Maxey finished this one with 28 points on 10-for-18 field goal shooting with two rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Sixers are hanging right in there with the Thunder here in Q2! pic.twitter.com/CnbGqCK9QE

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 28, 2025

Adem Bona: 11 points, 8 rebounds (6 offensive), 1 assist, 4 blocks

Adem Bona had some really strong minutes — probably some of his best all season —for the Sixers in the first half of this one… which was great considering how OKC was easily taking advantage of Andre Drummond when he was out there. Not only did he put up eight points on 2-for-3 field goal shooting and 4-for-4 shooting from the line in the first half, but he was an absolute menace on defense. He had two steals by the break to show for it, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of just how energetic and involved he was defensively, helping keep this one extremely close going into halftime.

Even as things started to get lopsided in the second half, Bona kept bringing the energy, fighting for blocks and boards even when the game was realistically out of reach.

Bona finished with 11 points (3-for-4 from the floor, 5-for-6 from the line) with seven rebounds (five offensive), one assist and four blocks.

Adem Bona block VJ Edgecombe assist Justin Edwards triple pic.twitter.com/ZvDn8uWpTt

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 28, 2025

Justin Edwards: 12 points (4 triples), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Justin Edwards has had a rough season, let’s all be honest… but he seems to enjoy playing against the league’s toughest teams. This afternoon, he looked possibly the best he has all year in the first half against the defending NBA champs. Early on, Edwards was red hot from long range, sinking 3-of-3 attempts from beyond the arc for nine points along with three rebounds and a block by halftime.

His second half was not so great… but honestly the second half wasn’t exactly great for anyone on the Sixers. Thunder just took over. It would be great to see more of the JE we saw this first half in other games, though.

Edwards finished with 12 points (4-for-6 from three), five rebounds, one assist and one block.

Justin Edwards hits his third triple of the first half pic.twitter.com/JxFoodGmR1

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 28, 2025

Jared McCain: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Jared McCain has had kind of a rough go since returning from the injuries that sidelined him for 11 months after ending the stellar beginning to his rookie season last year. Today was one of the better performances he’s had, especially shooting. The sophomore continues to look confident shooting, even though some inefficient games, and today they finally started falling smoothly. McCain shot 4-for-6 from the floor for 10 points in this one. He was 2-for-4 from long range, including hitting a really nice no-dip triple from the corner in the third frame.

Sure, it’s not the type of performance we got spoiled with watching McCain last season, but any game where the shots start falling like this is is a step in the right direction to getting back to that.

Jared McCain with the no-dip triple from the corner! pic.twitter.com/zmGNc66yJ4

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 28, 2025

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...klahoma-city-thunder-tyrese-maxey-bona-mccain

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Joel Embiid questionable for matchup vs. injury-riddled Grizzlies

(Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers have dropped their last three games and their next opportunity to get back in the win column comes Tuesday night when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies. This is their third game of a five-game road trip.

As of Monday evening, Joel Embiid is listed as questionable for the contest due to a right ankle sprain and right knee injury management. For what it’s worth, Embiid was also listed with both ailments when he missed the Sixers’ last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Nick Nurse told Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey before that one that Embiid was sidelined due to the ankle, not the knee.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Joel Embiid is day-to-day with the sprained right ankle. He added that the ankle, not the right-knee injurymanagement, is the reason the center will miss today's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 28, 2025

Embiid apparently sprained that ankle in his last game, the Sixers’ gross 109-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls last Friday night. He played just over 32 minutes in that contest, putting up 31 points on 10-for-19 field goal shooting.

In addition vs. the Grizzles, Trendon Watford and Kelly Oubre Jr. both remain out for Philadelphia. That being said, the Sixers’ said on Monday that the pair are continuing to progress and, beginning with today’s practice, are being reintegrated into team activities.

Memphis’ injury report is… a bit longer. Kentavious Caldewell-Pope (hamstring), Brandon Clarke (calf), Zach Edey (ankle), Ty Jerome (calf), John Konchar (thumb), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe) and Vince Williams Jr. (knee) are all out on Tuesday. Jock Landale (calf) is questionable.

The Sixers and Grizzlies will tip off from FedExForum in Memphis at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...el-embiid-injury-report-nba-memphis-grizzlies