The Sixers concluded their 2025 preseason with a win and Joel Embiid’s first appearance in many months.
The team closed out a 1-3 preseason Friday night by notching a 126-110 victory over the Timberwolves at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
In his first game since late February, Embiid tallied 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
Tyrese Maxey had 27 points and seven assists. VJ Edgecombe added 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals.
The Sixers were still down Paul George (left knee), Jared McCain (right thumb) and Trendon Watford (right hamstring). Veteran Kyle Lowry also sat.
The team’s regular-season opener is next Wednesday against the Celtics. Here are observations on the Sixers’ win over Minnesota:
Embiid’s return
Seconds after the opening tip, Embiid took a pull-up jumper that grazed the front rim. He got everything properly calibrated soon enough, making his next try from the left elbow.
Outside of scoring, Embiid had several bright moments in the early going. He swiped a steal and then tossed a long-range outlet pass that set Maxey up for an and-one layup.
The Sixers’ half-court offense largely revolved around Embiid in the middle of the floor. Embiid facilitated well, initiating two-man games with his guards, spotting open cutters and capitalizing on the Timberwolves’ aggressive double teams.
When Embiid rested at the 5:44 mark of the first quarter, the Sixers held a 20-11 lead. His conditioning appeared to be good throughout his 19 minutes on the floor.
In terms of health, Embiid generally did not look bothered by his left knee. The big man did have a somewhat worrisome play in the third quarter when he committed a charge, fell awkwardly and was slow to get up. He stayed in the game but subbed out about a minute later.
Starting nod for Bona
Embiid started the night with Maxey, Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Adem Bona.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged pregame that his current plan is to start the 20-year-old Edgecombe on opening night. All signs have been pointing toward that this preseason.
Bona’s start was less expected, although it wasn’t a complete shocker. The Sixers played Bona and Embiid together Sunday in their Blue-White scrimmage and Nurse suggested he wanted to experiment further with the double-big frontcourt.
Bona steered clear of foul trouble and had an excellent offensive rebounding game. He posted four points, seven boards and a block in 23 minutes.
Dominick Barlow still seems to be firmly in the rotation picture with George and Watford out. The 22-year-old was the first player off the bench Friday and started the second half in Bona’s place. He played 20 minutes and had six points and five rebounds.
As far as rotation projections, it’s notable that the Sixers’ only four bench players until the fourth quarter were Barlow, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker. Edwards had the smallest first-half role of that group, playing just three minutes in the second quarter.
Edgecombe does it all
Edgecombe brought the ball up often Friday.
Nurse wants greater offensive variety and movement this season. One important aspect of that vision is more Maxey off-ball reps and less onus on the sixth-year guard to create offense from thin air. It will be interesting to see how Edgecombe deals with the ball pressure and split-second decision-making that come with NBA point guard work.
Edgecombe’s transition talent pops every time he plays. He capped the third quarter with a buzzer-beating fast-break layup. The home crowd encouraged him to sprint ahead of the pack and fly high in the fourth. Edgecombe did so at every possible opportunity. At a bare minimum, the Sixers should have elite speed when Edgecombe shares the floor with Maxey.
The No. 3 overall pick has also continued to look promising in quite a few other departments, including cutting and offensive rebounding. He already has a knack for impacting the game in both eye-popping and subtle ways.
Defensively, Edgecombe got beaten on a couple of occasions by T-Wolves guard Rob Dillingham. However, he’s frequently shined on defense. Edgecombe had several rock-solid 1-on-1 sequences and those five steals.
As Maxey’s final stat line indicates, he enjoyed playing off the ball and found plenty of shots in his wheelhouse. Not too shabby a preseason finale for the Maxey-Edgecombe duo.
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