NBA: Joel Embiid returns to full-time duty but 76ers fall to 2-10

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives past Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze, rear, during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

ORLANDO, Florida — The Philadelphia 76ers have been waiting 3 1/2 weeks to get a full 33 minutes out of Joel Embiid.

They finally got it Friday night, but it came in a 98-86 loss to the Orlando Magic that dropped the 76ers to 2-10.

“Usually with me it takes two or three or four games to get to myself. Today was a big step in the right direction,” Embiid said after finishing with 20 points and eight rebounds in a game that got away from the 76ers in the fourth quarter. “We’re a new group. We were just not organized. I thought our defense was fine, but starting with me we started turning the ball over. Offensively, we were indecisive. Stuff that we can fix.”

READ: NBA: Joel Embiid sluggish in season debut for 76ers

Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP who missed Philadelphia’s first 10 games due to “knee management” and a three-game suspension, had six turnovers and missed 10 of 15 shots from the floor, including all five of his 3-point attempts.

“In the second half my legs were a little tight and I felt like every shot I was taking was short,” he said.

“I would imagine there was some fatigue there,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “They were doing a good job of either sending a body (at Embiid) or bluffing sending two. (We) got a little indecisive, I think, and then the shot clock ticked down and we weren’t able to create anything very good.”

Due in large part to the absences of Embiid (10 games), Paul George (seven games) and Tyrese Maxey (five games), the 76ers are off to a terrible start. Friday night’s loss virtually eliminated them from the NBA Cup competition, for which Nurse called it a “do-or-die game.”

READ: NBA Cup: Joel Embiid scores 13 in return as 76ers fall to Knicks

“It’s still an ongoing process of figuring this whole thing out for everyone. That’s no excuse. We’ve got to get better,” George said. “But I do think we’ll get to a point where we’ll find an identity. It’s unfortunate that it’s taking a little time. But the season is long.”

Long enough to overcome a 2-10 start?

“When you have the record that we have, it’d be hard not to look at it,” Embiid acknowledged. “But we’ve had a lot of adversity so far, guys being out. And I think the biggest thing is we have a lot of new guys. You can see on the floor — it’s going to take a while for everybody to be on the same page.”