NEW YORK — It took more than two months, but when Joel Embiid finally rose up for his first dunk of the season, it felt like more than a routine finish. It was a moment that captured where the Philadelphia 76ers are right now — confident, connected and very much on the rise.
Embiid’s transition dunk late in the fourth quarter punctuated a commanding 130–119 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night, sealing Philadelphia’s third straight victory and pushing the Sixers to 19–14. For the first time this season, they sit five games over .500.
“It was whatever,” Embiid said with a grin after finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. “It was an easy one. I wish it would have been one off the backboard. … That’s the next step.”
The dunk itself came with the game already in hand. Embiid caught the ball under the basket in transition and threw it down for the final points of the night, prompting a mock celebration from teammates who knew exactly what it meant. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, who matched Embiid with 26 points, joked that the big man “actually got up a little bit.”
Tyrese Maxey, who continued his electric stretch by leading all scorers with 36 points, was thrilled to see it happen — and immediately felt the consequences.
“I was so happy,” Maxey said. “So now, it’s my fault because the play before, I dropped him off a pass, thinking he wasn’t going to dunk it. Now he’s telling me to throw him a lob. So, I’m going to throw him a lob, and we’re going to see how that goes.”
Even head coach Nick Nurse couldn’t help but laugh.
“You saw he wanted to get one,” Nurse said. “It was a pretty cheap way of getting it, I think. But at least we know he can still dunk, and he can check that off his list.”
The lighthearted reactions reflected the mood inside the Sixers’ locker room after closing out a 10-day road trip on a high note. While the Knicks were on the second night of a back-to-back, that context did little to diminish Philadelphia’s performance. This was a reminder of what the Sixers can look like when healthy and in sync — with even more help potentially on the way as Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) and Trendon Watford (oblique) continue their rehab.
“I think the biggest difference is, we just feel better as a unit,” Paul George said. “We trust in the process of this team. And I think just a year under your belt, you just naturally gain camaraderie, and I think it’s carrying over. … We’re starting to enjoy the game. We’re starting to enjoy being out on that floor, playing on both ends. And I think we’re just gelling.”
For Embiid, the momentum is personal as well as collective. He has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive games, steadily rounding into form after an uneven start to the season. He also looked fully himself at Madison Square Garden, returning for the first time since Game 5 of Philadelphia’s first-round playoff loss to New York in 2024 — and relishing every moment.
“I love being here,” Embiid said. “This is my favorite place in the entire world, New York. … It’s always good to be here and talk back to the fans. They went quiet today … I guess that’s what happens when you’re losing the whole game.
“But it’s always fun to go back and forth with them. Sometimes, it’s good to be liked. Sometimes, it’s good to be hated.”
What matters most for Embiid and the Sixers is relevance again in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Saturday’s win moved Philadelphia to within half a game of fourth place, with 11 of its next 15 games coming at home — a potentially pivotal stretch for a team that hasn’t enjoyed this level of health and continuity in years.
“We got a long way to go,” Nurse said. “We were in a big hole we had to dig out of, and we’re still digging. There’s a lot of conditioning, rhythm, health can get a little bit better, and we just keep building on that.”
If Embiid’s long-awaited first dunk is any indication, the Sixers are building something real — one confident step, and one emphatic finish, at a time.
