The Philadelphia 76ers’ season spiraled further into chaos Saturday night as coach Nick Nurse benched franchise star Joel Embiid during a pivotal 105-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, watched from the sidelines as Nic Claxton’s buzzer-beating tip-in sealed Philadelphia’s seventh consecutive defeat – their longest skid in a decade.
Embiid managed just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting in 31 minutes, missing all six three-point attempts. The 2023 MVP appeared visibly hampered by his surgically repaired left knee, stumbling after a third-quarter turnover. “They had a good feel for the game at that point,” Nurse said about keeping reserves like Guerschon Yabusele on the court. “Just wanted to let them roll with it.”
“He's giving us what he can. He's not himself, we all know that. I commend him for trying.”
– Nick Nurse on Embiid
Key factors in Philadelphia’s collapse:
- 7-game losing streak – longest since 2014
- Embiid’s career-low 28.1% 3PT shooting this season
- 20-36 record – 13th in Eastern Conference
The 76ers’ play-in tournament hopes now hang by a thread. Embiid’s $193 million contract extension compounds pressure, with the center playing just 19 games this season due to knee complications. “I probably need to fix the problem first,” Embiid admitted last week regarding his diminished mobility.
Team doctors cleared Embiid following February 2023 meniscus surgery, but his rushed return for playoffs and Team USA duty appears to have backfired. With Philadelphia 6.5 games out of 10th place, even a healthy Embiid might not salvage this crumbling championship contender.
