Yes, Embiid! | Sports Daily Newsletter

There was a lot of buzz at the Wells Fargo Center last night as gifted rookie Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs paid a visit.

There was even more buzz by the time Joel Embiid stopped dropping in baskets. In a masterful performance, Embiid set a 76ers franchise record with 70 points in a 133-123 victory. And he did it on the 18th anniversary of his idol Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points.

He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s franchise mark of 68 by making 24 of 41 shots from the field along with 21 of 23 free throws. For good measure, Embiid added 18 rebounds and five assists.

Wembanyama, the Spurs’ 7-foot-4, do-everything rookie, was as good as advertised. He finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Last night, though, he took a backseat to the reigning MVP.

Next: The Sixers begin a five-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP+).

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie must be aware of how many fans want him to fire Nick Sirianni after this season’s collapse. All signs point to Sirianni’s return, though.

Sirianni will join general manager Howie Roseman at a Wednesday news conference, perhaps to introduce a new coordinator or two. The Eagles are moving full speed ahead into their makeover but retaining the coach who oversaw six losses in their last seven games.

Marcus Hayes, who has known Lurie for 30 years, believed the Eagles would retain Sirianni all along. He spoke with Eagles insiders and came up with Lurie’s 10 reasons for keeping the coach around. One of the reasons: Lurie hired Sirianni. Nick was his pick. Lurie hates to be wrong.

The Eagles have options they’re looking into at defensive coordinator following the firing of Sean Desai and the expiration of Matt Patricia’s contract. According to ESPN, Ron Rivera and Mike Caldwell are set to be interviewed. They’re among the candidates to watch.

Former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz will get another chance at a ring after agreeing to a deal with the Detroit Lions.

Will Chase Utley make the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot? How about Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu or Billy Wagner? The former closer has the best chance of the four former Phillies, but we’ll find out this evening when the 2024 voting results are announced at 6 p.m. on MLB Network. Here’s everything you need to know.

How did Inquirer writers Scott Lauber and Marcus Hayes vote? See their ballots and cast your own.

It’s been more than 13 years since the Flyers reached the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.

On Friday, one of the heroes from that team, captain Mike Richards, will make his long-awaited return to the Wells Fargo Center for the team’s annual alumni game. Ahead of the game, Jackie Spiegel caught up with Richards to talk about that Cup run, “The Shift,” his surprising trade to Los Angeles in 2011, and what he’s up to these days.

The Flyers made a minor roster move on Monday, as struggling winger Bobby Brink was sent down to AHL Lehigh Valley. Brink had not scored in seven games and has been a healthy scratch in the last three contests.

Next: The Flyers will look to snap a two-game losing skid tonight at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7, NBCSP).

Only one of these Sixers has not won NBA rookie of the year. Who is it? No Googling! First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Ben Simmons

B) Joel Embiid

C) Michael Carter-Williams

D) Allen Iverson

We asked you: Should Nick Sirianni be back? Why or why not? Among your responses:

Nick should return next year, however, someone needs to fix Jalen Hurts and I don’t know if Nick can do that. Hurts, from reports, seems like a tough nut to crack. He’s aloof, unapproachable, a little bit of a diva. ... I’m hoping we don’t have another Wentz-type problem arising with Hurts, but time will tell. — Tom G.

Nick’s constant pacing of the sideline searching for answers to the coordinators’ (in)decisions is symbolic of the team’s executions of same. Time to let him ply his trade elsewhere in/on some other far distant Broad Street arena. — John B.

Clearly he will be back, because he met with Jeff and Howie and then fired Sean Desai. But unless major changes are made, next year will be his last. I’m not exactly sure what he does. The coordinators call the plays, though he was the one who took four points off the board against the Bucs. Surely he bears some responsibility for the incompetence of the defense, either because the players weren’t up to snuff or the designs failed. ... It’s arguable that Jake Elliott saved his job, because without him, the Eagles would have barely gotten 8 or 9 wins. — Joel G.

Well, a head coach is charged with directing the coaching staff and active in planning game day strategies. I think Sirianni failed to be the “Coach” and leader who could right the ship during turbulent times. ... I do not think he had any idea what to-do to fix the problems that plagued the team. He was too cocky and the outside view of us as “Clowns” fit the bill under his leadership. He has to go as well as Johnson. — Vince H.

I don’t think the Eagles should stay with Sirianni. He did a great job last year, or at least we think so. Perhaps it was Steichen and Gannon who were the real coaches of last year’s great success. With them gone and Nick dependent on two younger, less experienced guys, it was still looking good at 10-1 but then the team seemed to implode from within and Nick for sure failed to right the sinking ship. — Everett S.

Thumbs down. Isn’t there a saying about changing horses midstream (Desai for Patricia)? ... Inability to adapt to changing circumstances. Inability to solve the Jalen Hurts conundrum. Failure to rally the players. The most damning indictment: His players quit on him. There’s a great line from a John Wayne movie: “Only the man who commands can be blamed.” — Karl Z.

Hell no . All coordinators and coaches should be fired except for the special teams coach and Jeff Stoutland. The rest showed what they can do. Nothing. And that includes head cheerleader Sirianni. — Bill M.

I do think a lot of blame falls on the coach when a team fails. However, Nick is not to blame for everything that went wrong with the Birds. Therefore I do think he should stay. They must do more research into the candidates for the DC position so as to hire the strongest person. — Kathy T.

When I think about the Eagles end of season collapse, I can only see one reason. Nick Siriani. His inability to correct the deficiency of the defense, with his choice of a defense coordinator that had such limited NFL experience, led to a season-long slide to the bottom. ... At the worst time of the season, Siriani changed defense coordinators, resulting in the final and complete collapse of a horrendous season. Siriani is the brain behind every move, and should fall on his sword. — Michael G.

I think that Nick should be back as head coach because even though we had a bad season, the Eagles are still a formidable team. They still went on a strong winning streak in the beginning of the season. Our defense was suspect all year long and a lot of changes are needed there. ... I think that with the right changes we will dominate again. — Joseph S.

He was the head coach of a team that lost 6 of its last 7 games. See ya ! — Virgil K.

Nick Sirianni should be fired. I know that he has had a great deal of success, but much of that was last year and I believe was due to very good coordinators. ...Changing coordinators will help, but the fact remains that the head coach hired them (I think), and must bear responsibility for the overall success/failure of the team. We need a coach who will hold people accountable to produce, not be their friend. Watching the four games this past weekend, and seeing how creative and innovative the offenses of all the teams are, shows exactly how much of a gap there is between them and the Eagles. ... It looks like we are in for a repeat next year if no change is made. — Tom R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, EJ Smith, Gaby Carroll, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Scott Lauber, and Jeff Neiburg.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s all for today, although I must admit I’m a bit surprised that both Mike McCarthy and Nick Sirianni retained their jobs. Maria will be at the newsletter controls on Wednesday. — Jim