Inside Sixers: Georges Niang’s celebratory In-N-Out, Joel Embiid’s ‘disgusting’ postgame drink and more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Georges Niang’s Saturday at the Golden1 Center began with him yelling, “You remember Sacramento last year?” — a reference to when the 76ers beat the Kings without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry during a COVID-ravaged stretch — to anyone within earshot of the mostly empty arena bowl following shootaround.

The night ended with Niang munching on an In-N-Out double-double burger and french fries inside the visitors’ locker room, after another shorthanded Sixers squad clawed back from 21 points down and then held off the streaking Kings in a 129-127 victory.

It was an appropriate personal celebration for the always-boisterous Niang, who scored 17 points off the bench by going 3-of-5 from three-point range and mixing in driving buckets while his team played without a resting Embiid and James Harden. Niang’s bravado also was representative of the state of his sizzling team.

Saturday’s victory capped a 5-0 Western Conference road trip — only the second time in franchise history the Sixers went undefeated on a stretch away from home that lasted at least five games — and a rise to second place in the Eastern Conference standings at 30-16 entering Tuesday. The Sixers have won 18 of 22 games since Dec. 9, their prior roster instability because of injuries now resulting in sharper depth, along with a blend of grit and execution required in down-to-the-wire games.

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“It’s crazy, because we’re in the locker room like, ‘Oh, we’re going to win this game,’ ” veteran forward P.J. Tucker said Saturday. “Like, calm. No panic, even without Joel and James. It’s like, ‘We’re still going to win this game.’ ”

This roll sets up a light-yet-fascinating week for the Sixers at home. They will host the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, perhaps finally matching Embiid against Ben Simmons for the first time since Simmons’ fallout with his former team and last February’s blockbuster deadline trade. Then on Saturday, they will take on the West-leading Denver Nuggets and dazzling center Nikola Jokic, who beat out Embiid for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award the past two seasons.

Until then, here are some behind-the-scene moments that peppered the Sixers’ impressive week:

Embiid tossed a small bottle to a curious Tyrese Maxey, who asked, “Is this how I get 40 points?” before taking a swig of the liquid inside.

The star center had just dropped 41 points in the Sixers’ win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena, a feat that is becoming routine for the NBA’s second-leading scorer. Yet Maxey had also unleashed his own scoring flurry in that game, with 11 consecutive points to begin the fourth quarter to help the Sixers pull away.

Maxey demonstrated his adaptability over the course of the week, when coach Doc Rivers moved him to a sixth-man role to give the starting lineup a perimeter defensive boost with De’Anthony Melton. Maxey followed his 22 points against the Clippers with 15 against the Trail Blazers on Thursday, before exploding for 32 while back with the first unit against the Kings. He scored 11 points in the third quarter’s opening three minutes to close the gap in Sacramento, then gave the Sixers their first lead late in the period, then hit two clutch free throws in the final minute.

“I have to be mature with this new role and be able to go in and out of the lineups and not complain,” Maxey said. “You’ll never hear me complain. You’ll only hear me come up with solutions.”

Maxey, of course, has already eclipsed 40 points this season, amassing a career-high 44 during an October win at the Toronto Raptors. That proved he did not need Embiid’s mystery postgame concoction, with ingredients the big man claimed he was unable to identify.

That’s probably a good thing, based on Maxey’s succinct review.

“That’s disgusting,” Maxey said after his sip.

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Danuel House Jr. grinned and chuckled as he periodically glanced from the visitors’ bench to the seats behind the Crypto.com Arena basket, clearly amused by a Clippers fan relentlessly booing any time a Sixer shot free throws.

And as the Sixers closed out their win, House slyly pointed to the man and cupped his hand around his ear to signal, “I can’t hear you anymore.”

That was an example of how House’s palpable energy has remained intact, even as his playing time dwindled while the Sixers returned to full health in recent weeks. Yet the veteran wing made the most of an abrupt on-court opportunity against the Kings, when he checked in late in the second quarter and gave his team a jolt with the deep three-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

“He ain’t played in weeks,” Tucker said of House “ … Everybody came in and did something tonight. In these kinds of games, that’s what you look for — everybody being ready to step up and play.”

One of the first sounds an observer will likely hear upon walking into any NBA road shootaround is hollers of “first bus!” which will take players and staff back to the team hotel.

Harris playfully yelled that phrase from the baseline seats inside Portland’s Moda Center Thursday morning. He is typically one of the first guys off the floor, because he views his afternoon rest and recovery as vital to his pregame routine.

“Just staying off my feet, really,” Harris said.

On the road, that means a smoothie and a nap. At home, that means treatment, a 30-minute activation session with his trainer in his at-home weight room, and a trip to the coffee shop before heading to the Wells Fargo Center.

Melton has already worn three numbers in his five-year NBA career, a byproduct of being traded three times.

The No. 8 he now dons with the Sixers is a tribute North Hollywood’s 818 area code, where he grew up. Those roots were apparent during the Sixers’ stay in Los Angeles, when Melton huddled over a laptop computer at his locker to select tickets for family and friends ahead of the win over the Clippers.

“When I saw that available … " Melton said of his current number. “Eight represents my family, too.”

Melton previously wore 14 as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns, a number he “got stuck with” after he was traded there from the Houston Rockets just before the start of training camp in 2018. He then wore 0 with the Memphis Grizzlies as a nod to Gilbert Arenas, one of his mother’s favorite players. When Melton joined the Sixers, however, Maxey already had that number.

Winning naturally creates a more rollicking postgame locker-room atmosphere. This week, it was loud enough in multiple arenas to permeate the walls while Maxey spoke in a separate press conference room.

Following Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, Maxey immediately knew the music booming down the hallway was from a portable speaker belonging to reserve center Montrezl Harrell, who regularly sings and raps along to the tunes he pumps before and after games.

“Trez is hilarious,” Maxey said.

Then in Portland, Niang‘s voice could be heard from the shower area on the opposite side of the wall. When asked if somebody should tell his teammate to pipe down, Maxey replied with, “It’s OK, he won’t listen. It doesn’t matter what you tell him. You tell him to be quiet, he still won’t listen.”