Joel Embiid got right back to business Tuesday night.

The Sixers’ star big man had a productive return to the floor and the Sixers dominated the Pacers, notching a 135-114 win.

Embiid posted 27 points, six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. 

Tyrese Maxey recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. VJ Edgecombe had 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. 

Andrew Nembhard put up 23 points for the 15-44 Pacers. Micah Potter also scored 23, setting a new career high.

Embiid had missed the Sixers’ last five games. He was first sidelined by right knee soreness, then right shin soreness. Indiana’s injured players included Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac and Aaron Nesmith. 

The 32-26 Sixers will host the Heat on Thursday night. Here are observations on their victory over the Pacers:

Embiid’s scoring touch still there  

Embiid largely let the game come to him in his first stint. 

He passed well, recognizing double teams and spotting open shooters and cutters around him. Embiid subbed out at the 4:06 mark of the first quarter with six points, three assists and two rebounds. Unsurprisingly, he appeared a bit more winded than usual in his first game since Feb. 7. 

Embiid’s interior presence alone didn’t prevent the Sixers from having a subpar defensive start. 

Less than a minute after Embiid sat, T.J. McConnell stole a Maxey pass and coasted the other direction for a layup that gave the Pacers a 30-23 lead. The Sixers conceded 38 points in the first quarter to the NBA’s lowest-rated offense.

Offensively, Embiid didn’t look bothered at all by Jay Huff, Potter or Indiana’s doubles. He began 6 for 7 from the floor, including a smooth three-pointer and several walk-in-the-park driving layups in the second quarter. Embiid tallied 20 first-half points. 

Shotmaking galore from Sixers’ guards 

The Sixers’ two main centers on Tuesday were Embiid and Adem Bona. Andre Drummond did not play until garbage time after three straight starts. Trendon Watford returned to the rotation.

Quentin Grimes was the Sixers’ top second-unit scorer with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He’s had a good four-game stretch since the All-Star break, averaging 14.8 points and shooting 43.5 percent from three-point range.

With a three-guard lineup on the floor, the Sixers started the second quarter on a game-turning 17-0 run.

By the 7:55 mark of the second, Maxey, Grimes and Edgecombe had all checked off double-figure scoring nights. Edgecombe’s posted at least 20 points in three of his four post-break games. 

Maxey near milestones

Maxey swiped eight steals in the Sixers’ Jan. 19 win over the Pacers. The two-time All-Star again showed Tuesday that he’s much more than a scorer.

Along with winding up just short of a second career triple-double, Maxey couldn’t hit a sharpshooting milestone. He went 2 for 8 beyond the arc, which puts him at 882 career three-pointers. Allen Iverson’s franchise record is 885. Of course, the 25-year-old Maxey should pass that number very soon and add hundreds to it.

Nembhard had a big third quarter, but the Sixers continued to score a steady stream of points. They shot a season-best 57.6 percent from the field and never had any sustained droughts.

The Sixers held a 21-point lead after the third quarter and Maxey was able to stay on the bench for the entire fourth. Thirty-four minutes isn’t exactly a light workload, but it’s significantly less than the norm for the NBA’s minutes leader.