March 26, 2026
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Paul George's return from a 25-game suspension ended up going about as well as the Sixers could have hoped.
After the Sixers wiped out the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, Paul George fielded questions about his return from a 25-game absence due to a league-mandated suspension. Trendon Watford, referring to the nine-time All-Star's jersey number, yelled "EIGHT BACK!"
George certainly looked back. After starting the night 1-for-9 from the field, George ended up scoring 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting. But so is No. 21; Joel Embiid returned Wednesday as well and scored 35 effortless points on 17 shot attempts across 28 minutes. After several weeks of undermanned rotations and disappointing blowout losses, the Sixers finally looked like a team to be excited about again. How long will it last?
As we do every week, let's take a look at how our friends in the national media feel about these Sixers as the Eastern Conference playoff race continues to intensify:
Before the Sixers' slate of games for the week began, John Schuhmann highlighted the team's difficulties against elite competition:
"It’s been a soft stretch of schedule, with the four wins coming against the Nets, Blazers, Kings and Jazz. The Sixers have the worst record (13-27) in games played between the 17 teams currently over .500, with six straight losses (by an average of 21.5 points) against that group. But they’ve won their last seven against teams that are currently below .500, scoring 119 points per 100 possessions, despite the absence of Embiid for six of those games and Maxey for five." [NBA.com]
Schuhmann's point has aged well; since his rankings were published the Sixers have lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder by 20 points and beaten the lowly Bulls by 20 points. And, as he points out, the remainder of the team's schedule is loaded. Among their final nine opponents are the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
MORE: George discusses suspension for first time
The Sixers get a nice bump in ESPN's rankings, and Tim Bontemps points out the importance of the team's final stretch of regular-season games:
"After weeks with several players sidelined due to injury and suspension, Philadelphia is finally getting back to normal again... They'll need all hands on deck for the home stretch of the season after falling to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference and into the play-in." [ESPN]
Following the conclusion of Wednesday's action, the Atlanta Hawks have moved up to the No. 5 seed, half a game ahead of the No. 6 seed Toronto Raptors. The Raptors only lead the Sixers by half a game, but the Sixers have a one-game lead over the Heat and a 1.5-game lead over the Hornets and Orlando Magic. Atlanta beating the Detroit Pistons in overtime on Wednesday night was a tough break for the Sixers, but things have broken well for them over the last week or so.
MORE: Sixers crush Bulls
Law Murray laments not getting a matchup that continues to elude basketball fans:
"All I asked for was Joel Embiid vs. Nikola Jokić in Denver. Once again, it didn’t happen... Also, Paul George returns from suspension, which should be a good relief for VJ Edgecombe, who has been putting in work with Tyrese Maxey injured." [The Athletic]
Speaking of Edgecombe, he played what was quietly one of the most brilliant games of his impressive rookie season on Wednesday. It was lost in the shuffle of Embiid and George's eventful returns, but Edgecombe scored 22 points on only nine shot attempts and also added six rebounds and six assists. He appears to be seriously leveling up with the ball in his hands during Maxey's absence. If the Sixers ever get fully healthy again, Edgecombe and George could anchor bench lineups at a high level.
MORE: George's role in return; what is Nick Nurse's best possible lineup?
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