Joel Embiid made his return to the lineup after missing 15 games.
The Philadelphia 76ers recorded a close 118-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks in a thrilling NBA clash on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The game took place a few hours after the Sixers traded Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick to the Mavericks.
Philadelphia, who were coming on the back of a 118-110 loss against the Celtics, handed the Mavericks third straight defeat to take their tally 26-25. Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points, four rebounds and 13 assists, while Joel Embiid had 29 points to contribute.
The 76ers maintained a close lead over the Mavericks right from the beginning and entered the second quarter with 36-31. Tyrese Maxey added 11 points on the scoreboard while Justin Edwards chipped in six points. However, the Kyrie Irving side bounced back and got a 65-58 lead at the half time.
Owing to Maxey’s consistency, the 76ers got back into the lead and were at 94-87 at the end of the third quarter, before eventually knocking down their rivals 118-116 in a hard-fought game.
Philadelphia’s star center Joel Embiid made his return to the lineup after missing 15 games with a sprained foot and later with swelling in his knee. However, after being declared questionable in the injury report, Embiid finally came back and emerged as his side’s shining star.
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He recorded a triple-double on his comeback as he finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Not only this, but in the final seconds of the game, his defensive rebound led to a layup, that put the 76ers ahead. He came up with a free throw at 0:22, which finally helped the side seal the deal.
Joel Embiid is BACK. 🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 5, 2025
pic.twitter.com/Jw82xFAZXi
The 30-year-old appeared to speak to the media post his comeback game and said that his goal is to play every game. He said, “I wish I could play every game. My goal is to be available and play every game. Whatever God decides from that point on, I can’t control it.”
“I can only control what I can do every single day, what I should focus on, what keeps me on the floor, and whatever happens, happens,” added Embiid.
Here's a cut of Joel Embiid's answers when talking about his knee during tonight's postgame presser. We'll have the full press conference up on the @phly_sports YouTube soon.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 5, 2025
"I wish I could play every game. My goal is to be available and play every game. Whatever God decides… pic.twitter.com/iZD4YbTzqi

Score: 76ers 118-116 Mavericks
| Points | 29 |
| Rebounds | 11 |
| Assists | 10 |
| Steals | 1 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Turnovers | 5 |
| FGs | 12-23 |
| 3Ps | 1-4 |
| FTs | 4-9 |
Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.
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