February 25, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Quentin Grimes is one of a few Sixers performing shockingly well during back-to-backs.
From the sounds of it, the Sixers were in agreement that a horrid loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night represented rock bottom, the final straw after weeks of incompetence following the trade deadline. Their response has been strong.
On Sunday night, the Sixers took it to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second leg of a road back-to-back, finally finding their early-season Joel Embiid-less form again. But on Tuesday night in Indiana, Embiid made his return after a five-game absence and scored 27 of the easiest points imaginable in only 26 minutes as the Sixers handled the Pacers.
This team has constantly forced people to reevaluate their preconceived notions of them. Where is the national media at on the Sixers this week? As we do every Wednesday, let's dive into some power rankings:
John Schuhmann always finds unique statistics for each team. And while the Sixers having as many back-to-backs on their schedule as any team in the NBA this season is not ideal given Joel Embiid's maintenance schedule, Schuhmann points out that the Sixers have handled back-to-backs extraordinarily well:
"They’re now 8-3 (6-1 on the road) in the second games of back-to-backs, having scored 120.0 points per 100 possessions over those 11 games. Edgecombe (30-for-64, 46.9%), Kelly Oubre Jr. (21-for-50, 42.0%) and Quentin Grimes (24-for-58, 41.4%) are three of the 24 players who’ve shot better than 40% on at least 50 3-point attempts in the second games of back-to-backs." [NBA.com]
How much of this can actually be attributed to anything substantive or strategic versus pure luck? It is hard to say, but the Sixers are nearly done their slate of back-to-backs for the season, so whatever powered this has been incredibly valuable.
MORE: Is Nick Nurse on the hot seat?
The Sixers getting Embiid back on Tuesday was encouraging; so was the fact that Embiid largely looked like himself after 18 days on the shelf. Tim Bontemps examines the volatility of this Sixers team:
"For as well as Joel Embiid has played this season, his recent absences with knee and shin soreness are a consistent reminder of the sharp edge this 76ers season is sitting on. With Embiid on the court, Philadelphia has a real chance to make noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference playoffs. Without him, though, it will be a challenge for the 76ers to get out of the play-in mix and into the postseason at all, especially with the Heat and Magic closing in on them in the standings." [ESPN]
Truly, every single game between now and the Sixers' regular-season finale on April 13 matters. Two years ago, the Sixers fell into the Play-In Tournament and a brutal first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks because they were the losers of a three-way tiebreaker for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Any individual contest can be the difference once every team has logged its own 82-game marathon.
MORE: What to make of stretch without Embiid, key lineup combinations, more
Law Murray, a Philadelphia native himself, is not surprised to see how quickly the tenor around the Sixers can change:
"The Sixers have played some disturbing basketball, which is par the course for this team in terms of alternating strong stretches of play with disappointing weeks. They badly needed a game like Sunday in Minnesota, Philadelphia’s first win by more than 20 points in more than six weeks." [The Athletic]
While all of the blame for the massive workloads of the Sixers' key players has been given to head coach Nick Nurse, it is difficult to fathom how few decisive victories the Sixers have this season – particularly because they have been above .500 all season long. And after trouncing the Timberwolves, the Sixers pummeled the Pacers in Embiid's return on Tuesday for another stress-free victory.
MORE: How would trade deadline have gone without Paul George suspension?
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
