Sixers Star Joel Embiid Links up With English Soccer Icon

On Thursday afternoon, the NBA kicked off their most recent attempt at growing the global game, as the Abu Dhabi Games were underway after the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks faced off at the Etihad Arena.

Both sides got out to a quick start in the first quarter, being knotted up at 25 apiece leaving the opening 12 minutes, but by halftime, the Knicks would find themselves ahead by ten points. This lead came despite a 12-point first-half effort from the Sixers' Tyrese Maxey, which was a game-high at that point for both teams.

The closing two quarters would see Philadelphia's deficit grow by a few more points, as they'd end up losing the match, 84-99. One of the bigger talking points in the match surrounded the Sixers' rookie VJ Edgecombe, who made his NBA debut on Thursday afternoon, after playing a lone season at Baylor University.

The Bahamian would finish his first match with 14 points to his name, along with six rebounds and three assists. But above all of his stats, the highlight moment for him would have been his attempted dunk on the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson during the second quarter, with the only thing being that he missed the rim on the way down.