PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a 110-97 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday as they rebounded from a loss to these Bulls on Saturday to end their road trip.
Of course, the Sixers didn’t have Joel Embiid in that loss; the big fella was dealing with right ankle soreness. The reigning league MVP made a triumphant return on Tuesday. He dropped 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in three quarters.
It was Embiid’s first game since Dec. 22, and he produced at the high level he always does when on the floor.
“I couldn’t do anything really up until the last two or three days,” Embiid stated after the win. “That was when I was able to put some weight on my feet. So yesterday, I was able to get on the floor, and try to see how I feel. I felt pretty good and that’s why we decided to go today”
In terms of his conditioning, Embiid still played in 31:27 of the game. There were moments he looked tired, but he still produced.
“I think he was moving great,” said coach Nick Nurse. “I think his conditioning was less than that, but that’s OK. I think that game was good for him to kind of recondition himself.”
Embiid agreed with Nurse’s evaluation that his conditioning wasn’t great on Tuesday.
“I was dead,” he stated. “I couldn’t play more than three or four minutes at a time. That makes sense because yesterday (Monday) was the only time I did something, but yeah, it was tough. I’m glad, you know, it was a three-quarter effort, so I’m all about building on it just to get back to the shape that I was in and next day, do the same thing.”
To Embiid’s point, he didn’t play in the fourth quarter and he was able to get some much-needed rest in a game such as this one. Now, the question will be how he feels as time goes on.
“I think just when it happened, it’s always about the next day,” Embiid finished. “Just to see how I feel, so gonna wait and see, but hopefully — I think it should be fine.”
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