When Joel Embiid plays, the experience is a lot like getting ice cream. It might not happen often, but when it does, it almost always delivers. The Philadelphia 76ers center thrived in Tuesday's 118-116 home win versus the Dallas Mavericks, his first game in exactly one month, and reminded fans just how fun he is to watch when he is healthy.

Embiid showed no sign of rust, recording 29 points (12-of-23 shooting), 11 rebounds and 10 assists to notch his eighth-career triple-double, via ClutchPoints. He logged 36 minutes, equaling a season-high mark he set on Dec. 30 against the Portland Trail Blazers. And the 76ers needed all of them.

The 2023 MVP's last two buckets of the night gave Philadelphia the lead, as momentum swung back and forth in the final quarter. He took advantage of a puzzling Kyrie Irving mismatch and scored what ended up being the game-winning layup with less than 25 seconds remaining on the clock. He is picking up where he left off– helping the Sixers win games.

Joel Embiid can help the 76ers stay alive this season

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The team was starting to click before Embiid and Paul George sustained more injuries. The former dealt with knee and foot issues, while the latter is currently nursing a finger tendon strain. Fortunately, Tyrese Maxey has been playing his best basketball of the season. He continued his blistering stretch against the visiting Mavericks, totaling 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting with 13 assists and two steals.

Expecting the three stars to stay on the court together for an extended period of time seems a bit unrealistic given what has transpired during the 2024-25 campaign, so fans would be wise to savor the good moments. Joel Embiid heroically willed the 76ers (20-29) to victory after a long layoff, keeping them within one game of the Chicago Bulls for the last slot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Philly is now 8-6 this season when the seven-time All-Star plays. Fans will probably have to wait until Friday to see Embiid in action again, since the squad has the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat (24-24).