PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points, Paul George scored 23, and Philadelphia 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 115-105 on Friday night.
VJ Edgecomb added 22 points for the 76ers, who played without Tyrese Maxey, the NBA's third-leading scorer (31.5 points per game), due to illness.
Pascal Siakam scored 20 points for the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers, who fell to 6-19.
Siakham's jumper with 8:24 remaining gave Indiana a 100-95 lead, but the Pacers missed nine consecutive shots, including three 3-pointers, before the 76ers went on a 13-2 run. The breakdown ended with Embiid rebounding on offense and hitting the basket. The 2023 MVP was fouled on the play and made the free throw to extend Philadelphia's lead to 108-102.
Embiid, a seven-time All-Star who has been plagued by injuries the past season and a half, averaged 18.2 points while playing in just nine of Philadelphia's 23 games because of left and right knee issues. However, he looked more like himself Friday, hitting a 3-pointer in the first half that gave him 14 points in the second quarter.
Philadelphia improved to 6-4 with Embiid in the lineup.
The 76ers had four days off after losing 112-108 at home to LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday night, giving Embiid plenty of time to rest and recover. He was promoted after he was likely mentioned on the pregame injury report.
George, who was drafted by Indiana and played there from 2010 to 2017, also looked more like the nine-time All-Star he is, finishing the season with a career-high in points after offseason knee surgery.
Philadelphia was 33 of 43 on free throws, while Indiana was 16 of 19. Indiana's frustration with the try differential became evident in the final minutes, with head coach Rick Carlisle picking up a technical foul with just over three minutes left and Siakham getting one with 1:41 left.
Pacers: Host Washington on Sunday.
76ers: At Atlanta on Sunday night.
