Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dribbles the ball against the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Older 76ers step up without Tyrese Maxey for win over Pacers

By Sean Keane | Last updated Dec 12, 2025 10:47 PM ET

Philadelphia 76ers' leading scorer Tyrese Maxey missed his first game of the season Friday night. Thankfully, the team's other, older All-Stars were ready to pick up the slack in a 115-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points while Paul George put up 23 points and hit four threes. It was only Embiid's 10th game of the season and George's ninth, but the duo played like the stars they've been in the past as the Sixers closed the game on a 15-3 run.

Joel Embiid looked like his old self in the win

Embiid took on the scoring load in the absence of Maxey, who's averaging 31.5 points and taking 22.9 shots per game for the 76ers this season. The 2023 MVP shot 12-of-23 while grabbing nine rebounds. He got to the foul line for 18 free throw attempts, dominating the Pacers frontcourt.

In a battle with NBA blocks leader Jay Huff, Huff rejected Embiid twice, but also sent the Philly big man to the foul line for eight free throws. Embiid shot 2-for-8 from three-point range — not great, but those were the first two three-pointers he's made since returning from injury on Nov. 30. Still, his 10-for-15 shooting from two-point range was quite impressive.

EMBIID DOMINATES IN PHILLY!

39 PTS
9 REB

76ers get the win at home. pic.twitter.com/qUgPrz33C2
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2025

Paul George's outside shooting has been badly missed by the 76ers

George hasn't lived up to the max contract he signed in the summer of 2024, thanks to nagging injuries throughout his entire Sixers tenure. But when healthy, George is still one of the best shooters in the NBA, even if he was at just 34.9 percent from deep before Friday.

Against the Pacers, George was 4-of-7 from long range, accounting for a third of Philly's 12 triples. Rookie VJ Edgecombe shot 3-of-5, while Quentin Grimes was 2-of-7. That's not a lot of support with Maxey out, who averages 3.7 threes. As a team, Philly is mediocre in three-pointers made and three-point percentage, and improving in that area is the easiest way to become an above-average offense.

Though having Embiid available and mobile helps a lot. It's not impressive on its own to defeat the 6-19 Pacers, but the possibility of adding healthy versions of their veterans to Maxey and the dynamic Edgecombe is intriguing. It may not last, but while the knees of George and Embiid hold up, the Sixers could have a very effective offense.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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