The last time Joel Embiid played a game in New York, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar declared his love.
“New York is my favorite city in the world,” Embiid said on April 30 after his Sixers beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. “I’ve had a place here for the past five years, so I just love New York.”
New York, of course, hasn’t exactly loved Embiid back. He emerged as the villain of that 2024 playoff bout, particularly after he committed a Game 3 flagrant foul by pulling Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
Chants of “F–k Embiid” became an acrimonious anthem among fans at Madison Square Garden during that series, which the Knicks won in six games. Game 6 took place in Philadelphia.
“I love it,” Embiid said of the jeers after Game 5. “If I’ve got to be the punching bag and hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s OK. I love it.”
Embiid, 30, returned Saturday night for his first game in one of the five boroughs since that heated series, this time for a lower-stakes meeting with the Nets at Barclays Center.
And Embiid, ever the showman, brought his best.
The 7-foot center dominated with 28 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes in the Sixers’ 123-94 win. He scored 15 points and corralled seven rebounds in the first quarter alone.
Embiid’s driving, one-handed dunk put the Sixers up, 17-15, midway through the opening quarter, giving Philadelphia its first lead after falling behind 11-0.
His 3-pointer with 44.1 seconds remaining in the first quarter punctuated that 15-point period, and Embiid celebrated with an emphatic fist pump.
In the second quarter, an elated Embiid leaped in the air and pounded his chest after teammate Guerschon Yabusele delivered a two-handed dunk.
Embiid added 11 points in the third quarter and sat out the fourth with the game already out of reach.
Much had transpired for Embiid between his games in New York.
He helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics over the summer, most notably with a 19-point performance in a come-from-behind victory over Serbia in the semifinal.
Embiid then missed the start of the 2024-25 NBA regular season to manage the left knee he underwent meniscus surgery on in February.
His season debut was further delayed after he was suspended for three games for shoving a columnist who had referenced Embiid’s son and late brother in a column questioning the athlete’s commitment and professionalism during his absence.
Embiid appeared rusty upon returning and, on Dec. 13, suffered a sinus fracture that has caused him to play with a protective mask, as he did Saturday.
Embiid entered Saturday averaging 24.1 points through 12 games — his lowest mark since 2017-18. His 7.6 rebounds per game and 44.8% shooting percentage both represented career lows.
But Embiid, who won NBA MVP in 2023, has been more productive of late. Saturday marked his fifth game in a row with at least 27 points and his second consecutive double-double.
It was another step for a 76ers team that’s been among the NBA’s biggest disappointments thus far.
The championship-hopeful 76ers are still only 14-19, but they improved to 7-3 in the games in which Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are all active. Maxey had 18 points and seven assists Saturday, while George added 17 points and six assists.
The star-powered trio remains a work in progress but demonstrated chemistry Saturday.
“Tyrese usually waits, and goes in the second half,” head coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “He’s a second-half guy. Joel’s usually a guy at the start. We’ve got to figure out where PG fits into that. I think he’s been trying to get himself going early in games. I’m not sure that’s been that great for us. We’ve just got to keep monitoring all that stuff.”
In the end, the 76ers will go as far as Embiid takes them. Saturday’s dominating effort was the latest proof of that.