NEW YORK – Joel Embiid was in a joking mood in the visitor's locker room at Madison Square Garden.

First, Embiid fielded a question about how it has felt to finally have some semblance of continuity. In jest, Embiid accused the reporter of taking a "shot" at him. "I'm the one missing games," he said with a grin. Then, he turned his attention to New York Knicks fans – not exactly fond of him after the epic playoff series between the Sixers and Knicks two seasons ago. After raving about New York – he called it his "favorite place in the entire world" – Embiid got his parting shot in.

"Talked back to the fans. They were quiet today. But I guess that's what happens when you're losing," Embiid said before taking a long pause, "the whole game."

In this week's Sunday stats, the one play that drew the most excitement inside the visitor's locker room at Madison Square Garden after the Sixers' latest statement victory on Saturday night, plus more on how they knocked off the Knicks on the road twice in as many weeks:

1

The number of dunks Joel Embiid has in 2025-26.

Embiid is finally on the board with his first dunk of the season. He had a wide open slam – that word might be doing a bit too much work – after the Sixers had put the game away. VJ Edgecombe, who had another brilliant two-way showing 30 miles away from his high school, asked when was the last time Embiid had dunked. "Oh my god," he said when he was told the answer.

"He was up there," Edgecombe joked.

It was clear that Embiid knew this was his first dunk of the season:

"It was whatever," Embiid said with a smile. "It was an easy one. I still wish it would have been off the backboard. So that's the next step."

Tyrese Maxey, who led all scorers with 36 points on Saturday, said after the game that he delivered a drop-off pass to Embiid close to the ground because of Embiid's infrequent jumping this season. Embiid told him that pass needed to be an alley-oop next time.

"So, I'll throw him a lob," Maxey said, "and we'll see how that goes."

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38.2 percent

VJ Edgecombe's three-point percentage across 29 NBA games (5.8 attempts per game) after making four of his nine long-range tries on Saturday.

Everyone has run out of things to say about Edgecombe and how good he has been so quickly. He is a positive-impact two-way starting guard as a 20-year-old rookie. He can take over games on offense and shut down elite scorers. He is getting better with every passing game.

"He's been awesome," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. "I think, again, the composure that he has – he's just so steady out there – I mean, he plays like a 10-year vet with his composure... It's pretty rare. But I think some of these guys are that good and really believe in what they're going to do."

Edgecombe's impact on games has not been limited to three-point shooting, but him pairing strong efficiency with high volume is quite remarkable considering one of the major knocks on him coming out of Baylor was that his jumper was a work in progress. Much of Edgecombe's offseason work was dedicated to reworking his shooting mechanics; he added considerable arc to his shot. The results have been stellar.

“Coming out of college, I was told he was a bad shooter,” Embiid said. “And he's been a great three-point shooter since he got here.”

A three-point barrage in the middle of the first half got Edgecombe rolling, and from there the Knicks were at his mercy. Because New York naturally felt inclined to put defensive ace Mikal Bridges on Maxey, Edgecombe had Jalen Brunson defending him. Brunson may be a tough cover – though Edgecombe has already more than held his own with that assignment – but Edgecombe could easily overpower him on drives. Edgecombe scored from all over the floor in the half-court and transition, and his best play was a block that led to a slam.

Edgecombe's complete highlight reel from his second game at Madison Square Garden is something to behold. He has put on two masterclasses in the arena that is just 30 miles away from his high school, prompting Paul George to comment that Edgecombe is "built for the big stage."

"He's good this game, then he's good the next game, then he's good the next game," Maxey said. "At what point do you just say he's good?"

Nurse's next goal for Edgecombe: scoring in transition more often. The rookie's end-to-end speed and body control on contact finishes make him a lethal transition scoring threat. Nurse wants to see it more.

"I want to get him playing a little bit more in the open floor," Nurse said. "I think there's – when we throw it ahead to him, there's some more attacking moves, and he's just really good at that. I just would like to see it eight times a game instead of four."

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36

Tyrese Maxey's game-high scoring total on Saturday.

Embiid's dunk created the most laughter and Edgecombe's continued brilliance caused the most shock and awe, but it is impossible to tell the story of just about any Sixers win this season without Maxey, whose sixth-year ascent into full-blown superstar has completely changed the calculus around this organization.

Ho hum, another 36 points for Maxey – on only 22 shots, by the way. Maxey went 14-for-22 from the field, including a remarkable 6-for-9 line from beyond the arc. Maxey continues to post absurd efficiency marks despite taking enormously difficult shots at massive volumes. He is without question putting together one of the greatest offensive seasons in recent Sixers history and is tracking to start in the All-Star Game before making a push for his first All-NBA selection.

"He obviously hit a bunch of huge shots," Nurse said. "...We'd get in a little bit of an offensive lull, he'd seem to cone up with a huge three to kind of re-spark us a little bit. I thought he was incredible. Fourteen-for-22 is pretty good."

Maxey, unsurprisingly, had little interest in talking about his individual exploits – not just because they have become commonplace, but because there is a collective momentum here. Maxey is one of many Sixers to spend the last year-plus talking about how all the team needed was a chance to establish continuity, that once the Sixers could familiarize themselves with their full team the results would follow. With Maxey, Embiid and George all consistently available of late, the results have followed.

Surely, some value can come from that familiarity. But how else did that repetition actually benefit the Sixers as they shrugged off an 0-2 start to their annual Disney On Ice swing and notched three impressive road wins in a row to finish the trip?

"I think the biggest thing is we know what to run," Maxey said. "We're figuring out what to run when this guy's in the game, when this guy's out the game. That's the biggest thing. The first couple games, we didn't know what to run... That's the biggest thing: knowing what to run it and when to run it."

Perhaps no member of the organization has stressed the value of continuity – and the pitfalls of not having it – more than George. Even as his offensive usage fluctuates from game to game and even from quarter to quarter, the nine-time All-Star is thrilled with where things are headed.

"It's super rewarding, George said. "It's super rewarding given the season that we had last year and everything we had to deal with – the injuries, the new players, just [struggling to gain] rhythm with one another. This year, we've still battled injuries, we've still had some unfortunate luck on that side. But I think the difference is we just feel better as a unit. 

"We trust in the process of this team, and I think just a year under your belt, you naturally gain camaraderie, and I think it's carrying over. I think it's safe to say everybody in this locker room is starting to enjoy the game, starting to enjoy being out on that floor, playing on both ends... It's translating, everything that we've been trying to connect with is translating on the court." 

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