The Athletic: Healthy 76ers lineup seeing positive results: 3 straight road games, 3 victories

Editor’s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams. 

***

NEW YORK — We now know a little more about the Philadelphia 76ers.

After Saturday night’s 130-119 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, it would still be a bit aggressive to label them favorites in the Eastern Conference, particularly with the Detroit Pistons, Knicks and Boston Celtics all looming at the top of the standings. But it would be fair to say that this group, if it can stay healthy, has the talent, versatility and capability to win the East.

For three consecutive games, all on the road, these 76ers have enjoyed as much health as they have seen over two seasons. This means that Joel Embiid and Paul George have joined Tyrese Maxey and rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe in the starting lineup — and without restriction on minutes at that. The result has been a three-game winning streak, two of them in impressive fashion.

The result has been an offense that opposing teams have had trouble stopping. The result has also been a defense capable of getting enough stops when needed.

“For three games, we have had the same players in our starting lineup,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said. “For three games, we have started the same five people. I don’t think I’ve been able to say that very much, since I’ve been here. You guys (the reporters) would have to go and check your notes on that. It’s been good to finally have some continuity.”

The statement at the beginning of this story is not said lightly and should not be taken lightly, particularly since it probably could not have been said at the beginning of training camp, or through the preseason, or even at the beginning of the regular season. Sure, the roster possessed some talent, but with the injuries to star players and with the cloud of last year hanging over the franchise, few could have predicted that the upside of the 76ers (19-14) would become evident by the beginning of the new year.

But just as a number of things went strikingly wrong for the Sixers last season, there have been multiple things to go strikingly right this go-around. Maxey is playing at a league-MVP level, so much so that he has to be included in those conversations at this point in the season. In Saturday night’s win over the Knicks, he scored 36 points while also grabbing eight rebounds and handing out four assists. On a basketball court full of star-level talent, he was the best player by a significant margin. His ability as a scorer has always been evident, but he’s made big strides in his ability to make plays for others, and he’s made big strides defensively.

In addition to Maxey, Embiid is beginning to look more like the player he once was. More importantly, Embiid is doing this while fitting in with the dynamic guard play on the roster. The fit with him and the rest of the roster looked clunky as he made his way back into the lineup. But on this road trip, that fit has been seamless.

.@JoelEmbiid's reaction after his first dunk of the year is pure gold. 😁 pic.twitter.com/YwN3BS6MyL

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2026

Individually, Embiid’s playing as well as he has since before the knee injury that cost him the better part of two years. His play at this level, with Maxey playing at a superstar level, has made the Sixers difficult to handle. For so long, it’s been fair to ask whether Embiid would be able to get back to this level. His play, coinciding with Maxey’s ascent, has raised the ceiling of the 76ers as a whole.

“I’m just super happy to see Joel and Tyrese and PG on the floor and healthy,” Edgecombe said. “I’m super happy, man. It’s like the little kid in me, playing alongside the superstars that I watched growing up. Yeah, man, this is great.”

Edgecombe has helped change the ceiling for Philadelphia, possibly more than his teammates. He’s been one of the best rookies in the league and has become more than a role player. He’s shown the ability to carry lineups offensively. He’s shown the ability to create shots for himself.

This has done two things for the 76ers in the big picture. First, it’s given them a dynamic offensive talent to go along with Maxey. On Saturday, the Sixers forged their initial separation on the scoreboard with Edgecombe in the game and Maxey and Embiid both taking a rest. It was Edgecombe, and not Maxey, slicing through the Knicks’ defense.

The second thing Edgecombe has done for the Sixers is take responsibility off George. When the Sixers signed George, they anticipated him to be a star. At the beginning of the season, there was pressure on him to return to that level. He no longer has to. He can be a connector offensively and fill in the blanks when needed. On Saturday, he hit several big 3-pointers against the Knicks, but George’s biggest value to this group so far has been his wing defense, which has been excellent. And because Edgecombe has stepped up as a third scorer, there is a lot less pressure on George to be what he used to be offensively.

VJ Edgecombe (77) has been playing well for the Philadelphia 76ers during a standout rookie season.

One play that Edgecombe made late in the second half encapsulates just how rare he has been for his age. The 20-year-old caught the ball on the wing in transition with Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns guarding him. He could have tried to score in isolation; instead, he slowed the play down, allowed Embiid to set up on the block and gave him the ball. Embiid had the much smaller Mikal Bridges pinned on his back. He turned and easily scored.

Maxey, taking a breather at the time, turned to Trendon Watford and told him that’s a play you don’t see many rookies making.

“We’re running out of excuses for his play at this point,” Maxey said of Edgecombe. “He’s just good. We don’t have to make excuses on how good he is, because he’s a rookie. If you’re good on this night, and good on the next night, and good on the next night … guess what? You’re a good player.”

Saturday’s win was important because it gave the Sixers a 3-2 record to finish their longest road trip of the season. They were able to find a rhythm within their rotations and their lineups. By the end of the night, they looked like a team that knew how to play together and make the pieces fit. That’s something that’s been fleeting over the past two years.

The caveat to this is health. Everyone knows that Philadelphia by nature isn’t going to be the most durable team in the league. There will be more games missed at some point because of player injuries. But the 76ers are now five games over .500 for the first time this season. They are in the fifth spot of the Eastern Conference.

And most importantly, there has finally been a flash of what this team can be when healthy. Who knows how long that will last, but if the team is healthy when the playoffs come, Philadelphia can be a team that nobody wants to play.

“I think the biggest thing you can take away is that we’re getting a little bit more rhythm,” Nurse said. “We’re getting into a bit more shape. It’s given us some options. We hope that we can keep running out the same lineups. We just have to keep taking it a day and a game at a time.”

***