February 11, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
VJ Edgecombe has had two tremendous performances against the New York Knicks this season. He did not have one on Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA – The All-Star break is often referred to as the midway point of the season, but the Sixers are officially two-thirds of the way through their 2025-26 regular-season slate as they begin a week-plus-long vacation. While their first 54 games have been much more encouraging than most anticipated, their bludgeoning at the hands of the New York Knicks on Wednesday, 138-89, will leave a poor taste in their mouths heading into the time off.
Tyrese Maxey had a strong offensive night with Joel Embiid sidelined. But even as Maxey reached the 30-point mark for the 23rd time of the season, it did not feel like his impact on the game was particularly strong. Perhaps that is because the Sixers were trailing by a significant margin for about 45 consecutive minutes of play to end the game.
The Sixers were not good in any respect on Wednesday. Their offense was dreadful, their defense was worse and they made constant miscues, which New York took advantage of. The Sixers were never remotely competitive in this game; a 2-0 lead was the peak of their night.
Takeaways from a truly dreadful end to the first two-thirds of the season for the Sixers:
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has spoken at length about his management of the unusual center platoon behind Embiid, from when to play youngster Adem Bona or veteran Andre Drummond to how those two players' minutes are managed on the nights Embiid is unavailable.
It is an ever-changing process for Nurse, but one thing he has been consistent with: when Embiid is out, Drummond starts and Bona comes off the bench. As Nurse explained it last month, most teams have a much bigger player starting at center than backing up there. Drummond is a better fit against traditional, bruising bigs, while Bona's athleticism suits him better against like-sized players.
But on Wednesday, Nurse made a switch, starting Bona over Drummond. It made complete sense: Karl-Anthony Towns' unparalleled shooting gravity at the five requires an opposing team to utilize a defender with good mobility against him, and Bona has a whole lot more movement skills than Drummond, who, at his best, is largely a stationary player. Plus, Dominick Barlow returned to action after missing Monday's loss in Portland with an illness; lineups with Barlow and Drummond have been ravaged all year long.
In theory, Nurse's adjustment could have helped the Sixers set a solid tone in their return to Philadelphia. It did not at all, as the Sixers played one of their worst opening stretches all season. They had zero defensive resistance against a New York team that had lost in overtime at Madison Square Garden the night before. The Knicks scored on each of their first nine possessions, with their fans dominating the sound in the arena as well. None of the Sixers' issues were Bona's fault, though; they all persisted with Drummond in the game. Drummond's minutes were so poor in the first half, in fact, that Nurse went with 10-day contract signee Charles Bassey for the first time in the third quarter. Bassey backed up Bona instead of Drummond.
New York opened the game on a 16-4 run in three minutes and change, and the Sixers never made it close. The Knicks took a 36-23 lead into the second quarter, where in the first six minutes they outscored the Sixers 23-11, opening up a 25-point lead. It all happened without superstar Jalen Brunson contributing much – Towns had his way with the Sixers, as did old friend Mikal Bridges and new Knicks backup guard Jose Alvarado.
The Sixers did not look competitive for a single stretch of this game. It also never felt as if they had a home-court advantage.
Calls that went the Sixers' way were booed. A brief skirmish between Alvarado and Trendon Watford incited a loud "LET'S GO KNICKS" chant. MarJon Beauchamp – who is on the Sixers – was the recipient of a loud "AIRBALL" from the crowd when he took a 24-footer and shot it 26 feet. Knicks players resting after strong stints received standing ovations. Knicks fans repeatedly sang "JOSE," serenading Alvarado after his late barrage of threes to cap off a brilliant game. (The Knicks acquired Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans for two second-round picks and Dalen Terry, who was immediately waived by New Orleans before signing a two-way contract with the Sixers on Tuesday.)
Sixers players must loathe that this continues to happen when their rivals come to town. If the Knicks are in Philadelphia again this season, it will be for a playoff series.
Embiid's absence on Wednesday was first reported by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who added that Embiid has experienced some right knee soreness dating back to his last appearance on Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns. Embiid will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
Moments after ESPN's report, Nurse said the team's concern level was not high and acknowledged that it could do Embiid some good to have a prolonged break. But it is worth noting that Embiid had not missed any games that were not a part of a back-to-back since late December before missing two in a row due to "right knee injury management" leading into this vacation. This is not the knee that has been the subject of significant scrutiny and multiple surgeries in recent years; that is the left knee.
The circumstances surrounding Embiid's right knee remain unclear. On Nov. 11, Embiid went from available the night before a game to ruled out in the afternoon due to this issue, which had previously not been known about. For nearly three weeks, the Sixers claimed Embiid was day-to-day, but he missed eight consecutive games during that span.
Ever since, Embiid's absences have been just as likely to be listed with the right knee injury management tag as the left knee injury management designation, which was often listed early in the season. And yet the Sixers have yet to explain how this issue came to be. The team hopes an extended period of time off will help Embiid, and that he'll be ready to go next week when the team returns to action.
Two additional notes:
• This was Terry's first game as a member of the Sixers, and he was active off the bench, making his team debut once garbage time was in effect. Terry has 17 more games of availability remaining.
• An endearing note from before the bloodbath: Maxey and VJ Edgecombe wore shirts of each other's SLAM Magazine covers before the game:
VJ & Rese wore each other’s @SLAMonline shirts during warm-ups tonight. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UC5fp3aa5T
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 12, 2026
Up next: Most Sixers can finally take a deep breath and unwind for a handful of days with the team reaching the All-Star break, but Maxey and Edgecombe are headed to Los Angeles. The Sixers will return to action next Thursday when they play host to the Atlanta Hawks.
