Joel Embiid’s triple-double leads the Sixers to an 118-116 victory over the Mavericks
Embiid, who played his first game since Jan. 4, made a layup with 22 seconds that proved to be the go-ahead basket, snapping the Sixers' two-game skid. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 34 points.

The 76ers welcomed back Joel Embiid on a night they traded one player and rested another due to a separate pending trade.
Making his first appearance since Jan. 4, Embiid helped the Sixers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 118-116, Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The 7-foot-2 center finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for his eighth career triple-double. Embiid scored the Sixers’ final five points as they improved to 20-29 and snapped a two-game skid.
It usually takes Embiid a half to get back into rhythm after a long layoff. But he was solid from the start against the Mavs (26-25).
What does he attribute that to?
“I was scared of getting traded,” he said with a laugh. “No, I’m kidding. I don’t know. I wanted to come out aggressive. I think earlier when I was trying to come back, I was trying to fit in. Make sure everybody was doing what they were supposed to do when I wasn’t playing. I think tonight, I was just asserting myself inside and out.”
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Embiid knows when he’s assertive the opposing team is forced to double- and triple-team him. That leads to his teammates having open shots.
“I think the games I played earlier in the season, we always had slow starts, because I wasn’t aggressive from the beginning,” he said. “So I think I learned from those lessons.”
Tyrese Maxey finished with team-highs of 33 points and 13 assists, while Guerschon Yabusele added 19 points. Mavs standout Kyrie Irving finished with a game-high 34 points.
Hours earlier, they orchestrated a rare trade between teams preparing to play each other.
The Sixers traded Caleb Martin to the Mavs in exchange for Quinten Grimes and a 2025 second-round. The pick was originally the Sixers’ before they traded it to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who then traded to the Mavs.
The Sixers also rested KJ Martin due to a pending trade with another team. KJ Martin hasn’t played since Dec. 23 due to a foot injury and was set to return.
Embiid did have a little scare after missing the past 15 games. He appeared to take a blow to his face underneath the Mavs basket with 8 minutes, 27 remaining in the third quarter. The Sixers called a timeout nine seconds later. Embiid got up and walked to the bench during the timeout. On the first possession after the break in action, Embiid picked up an assist on Yabusele’s layup.
Embiid didn’t show any signs of rust.
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He scored a 10-foot jumper on his first shot attempt 1:34 into the game. He scored on a driving layup during his second shot attempt a minute later. Then, Embiid scored while being fouled on his third attempt with 8:18 left in the quarter. He made the foul shot to give the Sixers a 10-8 advantage.
After establishing his scoring, Embiid focused on being a facilitator. He assisted on consecutive baskets by Kelly Oubre Jr. and was eventually subbed out for the first time at the 4:40 mark of the quarter.
Embiid returned to the game with 8.1 seconds left in the quarter.
He missed his first two shot attempts in the second quarter — a 13-foot jumper and a 25-foot three-pointer — before committing an errant-pass turnover on a later possession.
But he wasn’t the only Sixer who struggled to start the second quarter.
The Sixers shot 1-for-8 from the field — including going 0-for-5 on three-pointers — and committed two turnovers in the first 5:54 of the frame. As a result, the Mavs outscored them 14-2 to take a 45-38 lead.
Embiid, however, split a pair of foul shots before hitting a three-pointer and jumper on back-to-back possessions to pull the Sixers within three points. The big fella was up to 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists before checking out for a second time with 3:26 before intermission.
But this time Embiid was only out of the game for 32 seconds. And he appeared more fluid while attacking the basket in his third stint, scoring five points in the final 2:54 of the half.
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After adding four points and four assists in the third quarter, Embiid struggled from the field initially in the final quarter. The seven-time All-Star missed four of his first five shots. However, he would go to make two huge baskets down the stretch.
His layup with 2:32 left gave the Sixers a 115-114 lead. Then he followed that up with another layup to put the Sixers up, 117-116, with 22 seconds left.
Embiid then grabbed his 11th rebound on the ensuing possession. After being fouled, he split a pair of free throws to give the Sixers a two-point advantage with 5.7 to play. And though Embiid didn’t credit for a steal, he got his hand on the ball as Dallas turned the ball over on the final possession.
“He made some key plays when we needed him to,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Some of the stretches looked a clunky. Obviously, we were able to get him out and get him back on the critical moments of the game, and he made some good plays.”
Up next
The Sixers entertain the Miami Heat on Wednesday at The Center (7:30 p.m., NBCSP). The Heat dropped to 24-24 after Tuesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. Nurse said Embiid will not play against Miami.