Embiid struggles in season debut as Sixers fall to Knicks

PHILADELPHIA — It took three extra weeks, but Joel Embiid’s regular season is finally underway.

The superstar center made his season debut Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center against the New York Knicks after missing the first nine games because of a left knee injury and then a three-game suspension for shoving a member of the media.

And after a predictably up-and-down performance in 26 minutes — 13 points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field (but 8 for 8 from the foul line), plus three rebounds, five assists and a block — in a 111-99 loss, Embiid said it’s time for the confidence to explode off his troublesome left knee to return.

“It’s about confidence and trusting myself,” he said. “Pushing off … I talked about it a couple of weeks ago when I talked to you guys, that’s the mental hurdle I have to get to. But I think I can still be pretty good even without it , which I will get to at some point.

“I don’t know when. Maybe next game, maybe in two games … (but) usually get it back pretty quick, so I’m fine.”

Not much is fine these days with the 76ers (2-8), who now sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a matchup against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on tap Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether Embiid or fellow star Paul George will play.

In the past, the 76ers have made it clear that they plan to prioritize the health of their veteran stars during the season. But that was also before their injury-riddled start, as Embiid, George (bone bruise in left knee) and Tyrese Maxey (hamstring strain) have all been injured.

“I think it’s about us just getting on the floor together and learning to play with each other,” Embiid said. “But health is a big thing. I’m back, PG’s feeling pretty good, now we’ve got Tyrese back and when we’re all on the floor I think we’ll have a pretty good chance to win some games.”

The Knicks (5-5) don’t have those problems. They’ve had the same starting lineup — Jalen Brunston, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns — plus sixth man Deuce McBride available for each of their first 10 games.

And while this night began with so much attention on Embiid, who was making his season debut, it quickly shifted to Towns — the Central New Jersey native playing his first game in the rivalry — with one of his best all-around performances as Knick.

Towns immediately scored eight points in the opening minutes, finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists, and set the tone with his energy on both ends throughout.

“Yeah, obviously Joel’s a great defender,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “But first game back, it takes you a little while to get into the rhythm. (Towns) did what we needed him to do, come out of the gate, hit a couple of 3s, attack the rim, play like we needed him to do. Set the tone early, got big rebounds and we kind of fed off of that.”

Embiid had not played in a competition since the United States won gold at the Paris Olympics in August. He hadn’t played for the 76ers since the Knicks swept them in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs here in April.

And against the Knicks on Tuesday night, he looked like a player who had spent significant time away from the court.

His typical touch on the jumper eluded him and he finished 1 for 5 on 3-pointers. His upside game was also a slow slog, with Towns repeatedly having success getting his hands on the ball as Embiid tried to load up for a drive, forcing him to reset.

And playing against Towns and a Knicks offense that often had five players outside the 3-point line, Embiid spent most of the night moving around the court trying to keep up with New York’s offensive firepower.

“He was definitely rusty,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “The fitness I think showed up quite early. I’ve seen him play through it before, the way he reacted in the second half after being on the break. Seemed to do it a little bit, then I thought he got a bit tired again in the fourth .But again, I probably expected him to play with a pretty good competitive spirit for what he could out there.

In the end, though, the result was another loss for the 76ers. And while the forgiving standings in the Eastern Conference, where only the Boston Celtics and Cavaliers are currently above .500, gives a team like Philadelphia time to get things together, the hope is that the process can begin now that Embiid is back.

“The season is long,” George said. “I think when we get all our pieces together, we’ll start to make progress in the right direction. We’ll start to get some consistency and the chemistry will continue to pick up. Right now, it’s Joel’s (Embiid ) first game back , Tyrese (Maxey) is still out, so we haven’t seen this team done yet, it’s big pieces for us.

“We’re all trying to do a little bit more than we’re supposed to do, which is OK because we’re trying to fill big voids and big holes, but once we’re at full strength, I think it’s here, we can judge how we feel.”