Joel Embiid walked into the 76ers locker room about an hour before tipoff Wednesday night, and Tyrese Maxey said the sight of him gave Philadelphia an emotional lift before a game the team had to have. Embiid had been out since an emergency appendectomy last week, but he still made his way to the building and later sat in on a video session and watched from the bench as the 76ers beat Orlando 109-97 to clinch the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Maxey turned the moment into production. He scored 31 points, made 11 of 25 shots and hit three 3-pointers, while V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds to help send Philadelphia into the postseason. Maxey said he gave Embiid a big hug and was glad to see him, a small scene that carried more weight than any pregame speech could have.
The win sends the Sixers to Boston on Sunday for the first round, and that is where the test gets much harder. Philadelphia has lost its last six playoff series against the Celtics and has not beaten Boston in a postseason matchup since 1982, a streak that hangs over every visit there. The 76ers made it this far a year after going 24-58, which makes the turnaround real even if the path ahead is brutal.
That is also why Embiid mattered so much even without playing. Philadelphia has leaned on him for years, but the reality in this city is that the team often has to function without him because of injuries. The club has not given a timetable for his return from the appendectomy, and the Sixers will have to open the series in Boston without knowing when, or whether, their star center can join them.
Maxey said he simply chose to attack and trusted the shots would fall after a few misses early in the third quarter. The confidence showed. It also fit the night’s bigger message: Philadelphia can still win a meaningful game when Embiid is not on the floor, but it is a different team when he is in the room.
Nick Nurse said Embiid has been understanding that the team needs his greatness at the right time. Sunday will tell whether that time has already arrived for a group that has earned a shot at Boston but still has to prove it can survive the series that has stopped it before.
