Snow job no more: Joel Embiid blows Pacers away, vastly improves Sixers offense

Having Joel Embiid back in the Sixers lineup simply makes life so much easier for the team, the organization and coaches. It's like battling 20 inches of heavy, wet snow with a powerful snow blower instead of a shovel. And we can all relate to that right now.

Embiid returned to the lineup Tuesday in Indiana after not seeing action since February 7th, with right knee and right shin soreness the contributing factors to keeping him sidelined. 

He took the court against the injury-depleted Pacers, oversaw how the game was being played, assessed his timing, felt the pace and after a few minutes into the game, simply dominated in what became a 135-114 win. 

He assisted on the first basket of the game, and before scoring his first basket with 5:02 left in the opening quarter, Embiid had compiled three assists (which led to eight points), a pair of rebounds, made two free throws and blocked a shot. The 7-2 center did that while basically dipping his toes into waters he hadn't dove into in over two weeks. 

We need to talk about Joel Embiid more…

He’s a walking 30 piece. He hasn’t played in 3 weeks, rolls out his first game & drops 27/6/5. Unreal. Nobody else does this & does it consistently. Dude battles injuries more than anyone & remains elite. A freak.pic.twitter.com/dMQwxxuShT

— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) February 25, 2026

It was the beginning of what became a solid 26 minutes which produced 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. He shot 11-for-17 from the floor and was instrumental in spacing that helped Tyrese Maxey score his 32 points all over the floor, while VJ Edgecombe made nine of his 13 shots for 23 points as the Sixers shot a sizzling 57.6 percent from the floor.

For the past couple of weeks, coach Nick Nurse has talked of his team needing to play at a faster pace, especially with burners like Maxey and Edgecombe leading the charge. He said that even Embiid, watching from the bench while unavailable, said the team had to quicken the pace, even when he returned. 

Problem was, without Embiid the two were often running right into double-teams, or rim protectors waiting for them in the paint. Tuesday, it was so evident how much easier offensive life is for the team when Embiid is on the floor. The variety of ways in which the team scored was evident all game, as Maxey scored from everywhere. 

While falling behind 38-30 in the first, you could just tell the Sixers were feeling their way around their returning star. They quickly became comfortable as they outscored the Pacers by 76-47 in the second and third quarters combined. 

Yes, the win came against a team that is missing its best player in Tyrese Haliburton for the season, and were without Pascal Siakim and Aaron Nesmith. And yes, Indiana appears to be going through the motions this season as their 15-44 record indicates. But for a feel-out game with Embiid back and the final of their three-game road trip, it couldn't have gone much better as the team improved to 32-26 and remained as the sixth seed in the East.

Embiid showed some rustiness, as expected, especially while trying to handle the basketball. But his shot was smooth, he didn't try to do too much and with the limited minutes he played, it's certainly easy to think he'll be available for Thursday's home game against the Miami Heat.

Joel Embiid in his first game in 18 days as the Sixers beat the Pacers on Tuesday:

26 minutes
27 points (11-17 FG)
5 assists

All of Embiid's baskets and assists from his return: pic.twitter.com/wPRfMXqOAc

— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 25, 2026

And it wasn't a coincidence that Maxey and Edgecombe showed the speed and quickness that was so evident at the beginning of the season. Nurse decided to go with Adem Bona as Embiid's backup and he produced during his 14 minutes with six points, five rebounds and three assists. He was a big part of a 22-2 run the Sixers had to start the second quarter that basically pointed the game toward the blowout outcome.

The bench was another bonus for the team on Tuesday, as it collected 41 points, led by Quentin Grimes' 15. It was another positive sign for the Sixers' leading scorer off the bench, who has now scored in double figures for the past four games.

The game just seems to be way too easy for Joel Embiid, and that makes it so much easier for his teammates. Should he remain to be mostly available, Nurse can really start to formulate a rotation that he feels comfortable with and that he can carry into the last 10 games of the season, when Paul George is set to return from his suspension.