Joel Embiid and Paul George are working out the kinks as they continue to get acclimated to each other on the court.
Embiid and George are expected to play in their third game together this season when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
The pair struggled in their last outing, with Embiid scoring 16 points and George adding 12 in the 76ers’ 112-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Embiid shot just 4 of 21 from the floor and 0 of 6 from 3-point range, while George connected on just 3 of 8 shots overall.
So, how do they fix it?
“Just keep at it,” George said following Wednesday’s optional practice, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Keep getting opportunities on the floor together. Keep presenting healthy, and everything else just kind of roll it out once we get on the floor and continue to keep logging minutes.”
Getting on the floor has been the main issue this season for Embiid and George. Both players have missed 14 games due to injury, with Embiid sidelined due to injury management involving both knees while George has dealt with knee and ankle issues.
Perhaps the rest in between games will do their aching bodies a world of good.
“We’ve taken advantage of these days off,” George said. “We’re in the gym (Wednesday). We were in the gym (Tuesday). So, it hasn’t been ‘off’ for us. We’re still putting the work into kind of be prepared and be ready and get our bodies going and try to stay sharp, but it is bittersweet. Especially, for us trying to get into a game time rhythm where we start to come back and then there’s a break in between, but it’s good.
“Especially for the guys that have been playing a ton of minutes for them to get some time away. That’s where the sweet part comes in.”
Tyrese Maxey collected 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Sunday.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe had 15 points and Andre Drummond added 11 to go along with 12 boards for his ninth double-double of the season.
While the Sixers saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt, the Pacers have rebounded after losing 18 of their first 22 contests to win their last two games. In doing so, Rick Carlisle moved within one victory of 1,000 in his NBA coaching career.
Carlisle’s next win will make him the 11th coach in NBA history to reach quadruple digits.
Andrew Nembhard recorded 28 points and a season-high 12 assists for his first double-double this season in Indiana’s 116-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points, marking the eighth time that he has scored at least 20 points this season.
“He’s had a lot of pressure on his back, just filling in the point guard spot, and I feel like he’s been doing a pretty good job,” Mathurin said. “… I feel like me and Drew, we have the ability to pretty much contain the backcourt on the other side, and I feel like we’re doing a pretty good job.”
