PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers had Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all on the floor on Tuesday when they took the floor to host the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers were missing VJ Edgecombe and other key pieces, but it was a game they were in a great position to get the win and handle their business.
Instead, the Sixers struggled offensively as they shot just 40.7% from the floor and 7-for-27 from deep overall and fell to the Nets 114-106. Philadelphia had a chance to keep the good play rolling, but took a tough loss to Brooklyn as it couldn’t find a rhythm.
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The Sixers then had a scare a minute into the third quarter when Embiid took a hard hit from Nets guard Terance Mann and he was on the ground grabbing at his right knee in pain. He then got up under his own power and walked straight to the locker room leading to Andre Drummond entering the contest.
“Just hyperextended it,” Embiid said after the loss. “Went to the locker room, checked it out, and we’ll see how I feel.”
For Embiid, the big question is always how his knee feels the day after. So, when the big fella wakes up on Wednesday, the Sixers will then see how he feels and go from there.
“It’s alright,” Embiid added. “We’ll see how it feels. Obviously, when you’re hurt, it’s kinda hard to judge so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”
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As far as the issues with the Nets, Embiid pointed to the offensive struggles. The Sixers just never found a rhythm all night as the Nets used their length and athleticism to slow Philadelphia down and force them into some tougher looks. That led to a slowed offensive attack and some poor shooting percentages despite holding the Nets to 42.7% shooting. The big difference is Brooklyn drilled 17 triples compared to the seven for Philadelphia.
“Well, we couldn’t make anything,” Embiid explained. “So, that’s where it starts. You got to make shots. They just did a pretty good job just making everything tougher for us. It seemed like no one could really get it going tonight.”
The Sixers will have two days off now before beginning a 5-game road trip after Christmas when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Joel Embiid discusses his knee, why Sixers lost to Nets at home