Joel Embiid’s Return Hailed by NBA Fans as 76ers Beat Kyrie, Mavs After Luka Trade

Welcome back, Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers center marked his return from a 15-game injury absence in a major way on Tuesday, posting a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double to lead the Sixers to a 118-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Tyrese Maxey had a monster performance in his own right, putting up 33 points and 13 assists, while Guerschon Yabusele chipped in with 19 points and eight boards.

That spoiled a strong effort from Kyrie Irving (34 points, nine rebounds), who played without new running mate Anthony Davis following the weekend’s shocking Luka Dončić trade.

While the departure of Dončić will continue to be a major storyline in Dallas as fans wrap their heads around the stunning trade, Tuesday night was all about Embiid’s triumphant return to the lineup, and fans and pundits were happy to see him back:

The win moved the Sixers to just 20-29 on the season, as the team has gone from the high of signing Paul George in the offseason to a rash of injuries that has left them shorthanded more often than not.

That was the case yet again on Tuesday as George, Jared McCain (out for the season), Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon all missed the contest due to injuries, new acquisiton Quentin Grimes wasn’t available to play after being acquired earlier in the day and KJ Martin was held out due to a pending trade, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.

And yet, there is reason for some optimism in Philly. The Sixers are just a half game back of the Chicago Bulls for the final Play-In Tournament seed (and Chicago has already traded Zach LaVine and may be sellers ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline), while Embiid is back in action and looked fantastic on Tuesday.

It hasn’t been the season that Philly fans were expecting, but there may be more to the story yet for these Sixers.