Instant observations: Sixers’ backcourt of the future powers win over Mavs

VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey were dynamite in the Sixers‘ 123-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, earning the 76ers their second consecutive win as they near the end of a tough road trip.

Here’s what I saw.

The Good

— The only thing as certain as death and taxes is Joel Embiid handing Anthony Davis his behind when they play one another. Change the jerseys, change the rosters, change the coaches, and none of it matters, evidently. Davis is drawing dead without help. In one-on-one battles, Embiid handed him his ass so badly in the first half of this game that the Mavericks intentionally changed the matchups late in the second to have PJ Washington guard Embiid, with Davis resting against Adem Bona in the dunker spot. Tough look, my guy.

But maybe we shouldn’t focus too much on the individual matchup here, as the bigger story is the evolving play of Philadelphia’s hopeful big three. As they begin to get games under their belts and learn how to find each other within the flow of the offense, they are slowly creeping toward the level of play many hoped they could reach when George signed on the dotted line last summer.

At the heart of things is an apparently rejuvenated Embiid. I can’t begin to say how encouraging he has looked physically over the last couple of weeks, long after many had given up on the big man finding his legs again. Against a team that boasts an occasionally comical amount of size in the frontcourt, Dallas was left with the unfortunate choice of doubling Embiid or getting scored on. The most encouraging offensive sequence of his night was something we used to take for granted — after the Sixers got a defensive stop, Embiid ran the floor quickly enough to get a crossmatch with Caleb Martin deep on the block, forcing his former teammate to bear hug Embiid and take a foul long before the ball could get there. Embiid’s sense of purpose to get deep, leverage his size, and put pressure on Dallas stood out against a season’s worth of face-up heavy play, a sign that maybe he is finding real confidence and joy again.

That’s to say nothing about his defense, which is a work in progress but improving pretty rapidly. Embiid is sprinting harder on perimeter rotations and challenging more and more shots around the basket, with a notable first-half rejection of Cooper Flagg in the books from Thursday night:

To my eye, Embiid reclaiming some of his former strength and mobility is empowering him to play a freer brand of basketball. Last season was a version of Embiid stuck in his own head, unable to focus too much on what was happening around him. These last few games have featured electric, team-centric ball that brings the talents of his co-stars roaring to the front.

Tyrese Maxey doesn’t exactly need much help to star this year, of course, and you had to figure he was going to get rolling in his homecoming game. But it has been a delight to see him get the sort of open practice threes that had largely dried up for a year, bouncing the ball back and forth between he and Embiid from the post to the arc. His quick trigger, Embiid’s quick reads, and Maxey’s speed against closeouts created balletic moments against Dallas, to say nothing of their dribble handoff wizardry and Maxey’s turbo button on the break.

Speaking of, Caleb Martin may not dap Maxey up in the postgame tunnel after he was dropped to the wood by a Maxey burst of speed on the break to open 2026. This is just nasty:

It was Maxey, it should be said, who ultimately prevented this game from sliding into the bad loss abyss. Embiid faced more and more doubles and wore down a bit as the game progressed, but Maxey’s speed was relentless, with No. 0 darting to the rim over and over again turning the corner out of handoffs with the big man. Dallas knew it was coming and was powerless to stop it, with Maxey tossing in scoop layups, runners, and flip shots of all sorts around the basket. He has put himself at the forefront of All Star and All NBA conversations this season, and with the big guy around to level his men with screens, he looks like he could even level up again before the season is over.

(And how about his defense? Maxey has become more of a defensive playmaker than ever before as his scoring levels up for another year in a row. What can’t this guy do?)

And then there was Paul George, the most maligned member of the trio because of how little cache he has built with his new fanbase in Philly. He tailed off in the second half, I will admit, but the most explosive moment of George’s season came against, who else, the very same Anthony Davis, who sold out against George on the perimeter only to watch PG glide past him and hammer a one-handed slam, drawing one of the most excited team reactions of this Sixers season to date. I wasn’t sure George still had this in him, and judging by their faces and shots, neither were his teammates:

Better yet, George continued to play the savvy, impactful defense that has made him a positive player this season in spite of offensive inconsistency. The Sixers gave up a fair amount of dribble penetration at the point of attack, but George swallowed up multiple Mavericks possessions with immaculate timing as the low man, including on one possession where Max Christie fumbled a ball out of bounds, where George should have earned a turnover. The blown call was a shame, but George put the hard hat right back on and helped the Sixers get another stop.

This is slowly starting to feel like a team in sync with one another as opposed to a collection of talented but misaligned individuals. Health remains the million-dollar question for the two veteran stars, but boy, are they looking pretty good on the floor together lately.

Not just another rookie

We are running out of superlatives for VJ Edgecombe, who looked like the victim of an aggressive minute count to open the year as he dragged tired legs around for a chunk of November. He has not just blown through the first rookie wall he hit, he may be improving at his weaknesses in the middle of his rookie season.

He looks more in control of himself and the game as time wears on. Transition possessions that he was forcing up and missing early in the season are slowly morphing into more controlled resets to the perimeter, with Edgecombe recognizing when to hit the turbo button and when to wait for his running mates. When the slower Klay Thompson was in the game, Edgecombe recognized his speed advantage and punished the elder statesman with some explosive cuts and power dribble moves off the bounce, showing a great understanding of opposing personnel. Unlike in other games this season, Edgecombe hardly felt like he had to attempt a tough layup, with the rookie smartly recycling the ball when facing pressure, trusting his opportunities would come.

And boy, those opportunities came in bunches for Edgecombe against Dallas. Edgecombe’s decision-making as a driver was as sharp as it has been this season, his oft-scrutinized pick-up points perfect for each and every situation he found himself in. This was the best use of his athletic tools I think we have seen as a slasher yet, with Edgecombe making some gorgeous reverse layups and scoop shots around the basket. This is beautiful stuff:

Edgecombe’s catch-and-shoot prowess is taken for granted at this point, but he had yet another huge night from deep for Philadelphia, going 3/6 from beyond the arc, including an emphatic three to put this game fully to rest in the fourth quarter. Oh yeah, he had five rebounds, two assists, four steals, and a block to add onto all of that, and the block was essentially a double block on one play. Incredible.

He is box office, a reason to tune into the games by himself, and he is 2-0 against his friendly rival, Cooper Flagg, in the pros. Something special is brewing in this backcourt.

Other notes

— I thought Quentin Grimes had an outstanding game against Dallas, and he probably deserves his own dedicated section of the write-up. As it is, he played a beautiful combination of pressure defense and play-finishing offense, canning big shots while slowing the Mavericks on the other end.

— No idea what Nick Nurse was looking at playing Andre Drummond in the first half of this game. Drummond has been terrible in recent weeks, Bona feels like a better stylistic matchup against Anthony Davis and/or Daniel Gafford, I can’t figure out what the supporting argument would have been to play Drummond. Were they trying to showcase Drummond for a particular scout in attendance at this game? I don’t get it.