Joel Embiid sure didn’t look rusty on Monday.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar, who missed the last three games with left knee inflammation, registered his 17th straight game with at least 30 points and his 16th straight game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 124-115 victory over the Houston Rockets.
He only needed three quarters to hit the 30-point threshold and in total finished with 41 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes, shooting 12-of-21 from the field while making 16 of his 17 free-throw attempts.
Tyrese Maxey added 27 points and seven assists for the Sixers, while Jalen Green paced the Rockets with 20 points and Alperen Şengün added 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
But the story was Embiid, who had fans and pundits alike impressed with his return from injury.
The Sixers moved to 25-13 with the win, while the Rockets dipped below the .500 mark (19-20).
Embiid continues to chew up the competition in the regular season as he looks to win his second straight MVP, assuming he can meet the 65-game mark needed to qualify for the award.
But at this point, the narrative surrounding Embiid will continue to hyper-focus on his postseason struggles.
Until the superstar center can dominate in the playoffs, a certain sect of NBA fans will view him as nothing more than a regular-season darling and talk about him in the same way the Dallas Cowboys are routinely discussed.
That’s probably a touch unfair—Embiid is one of the greatest players of his generation in an era that has made life difficult for traditional centers.
But for as impressive as he continues to be, his legacy doesn’t yet include much playoff success or a championship.
Until it does, performances like Monday’s utter domination will always come with a caveat for certain fans and pundits.
