The Philadelphia 76ers (39-19) returned to action after the All-Star break in a home contest against the Memphis Grizzlies (35-23). In one of the weirdest and craziest games of their season, the Sixers came back from a 17-point deficit and a miserable first half to win 110-105.

Let's break down the Sixers' incredible win over the Grizzlies.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 27 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 blocks, 7-25 FG shooting

Embiid made sure the glass belonged to him, collecting four boards and two blocks in the first five minutes and registering 10 boards well before halftime. But he missed his first six shots of the night en route to a horrendous shooting performance, posting a woeful shooting line that he has only equaled once before in his career. He also drew plenty of fouls to supplant his paltry shooting from the field.

A Sixers official said before the game that Embiid was dealing with a non-Covid illness but he showed so much defensive intensity that I find it hard to point to that as a primary reason for his struggles. Even when he has bad games, he makes play after play. His dominance down the stretch on both ends was pivotal.

James Harden: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 10-16 FG shooting

Harden was absent when the Sixers last faced the Grizzlies. In this one, sporting a headband, he kicked off a strong scoring night with a four-point play. He oddly didn't log a single assist until late in the second quarter but was nonetheless huge for Philly, scoring at will and hitting six triples in nine tries. Not enough can be said about how he carried the team in one of their strangest performances.

Tyrese Maxey: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-18 FG shooting

Maxey also did not play in the previous matchup with the Grizzlies. He got the chance to guard Morant but struggled to keep up, as most guys who guard him do. Offensively, he shot mostly contested runners/layups and had an overall inefficient night. Yet, he came through with huge buckets (and sometimes assists) at times when Philly needed them.

Grizzlies player notes:

Ja Morant: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3-16 FG shooting

Morant — who Embiid previously described as “athletic for no reason” — had a rather pedestrian night. He started to get into a groove in the third quarter, highlighted by a steal-and-slam play, but didn't really command the game otherwise. With even a decent shooting night, Memphis could have won easily.

Jaren Jackson Jr.: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, 3-13 FG shooting

Jackson led the Grizzlies in the second quarter with some constant foul drawing and a sensational stuff on an Embiid dunk attempt. He also had a crappy shooting night but made up for it with some outstanding defensive plays and very efficient free-throw shooting.

Desmond Bane: 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 10-120 FG shooting

Bane brought the pain early. He made shot after shot, some of which were wide open, and gave the Sixers defense trouble with his off-ball movement that opened up scoring windows that his teammates took advantage of. He scored nearly all his points in the first quarter but that scoring nearly propelled Memphis for the rest of the game.

Game notes:

1st half

  • De'Anthony Melton took on the assignment of guarding Ja Morant while Tobias Harris took Desmond Bane and P.J. Tucker took Jaren Jackson Jr. Dillon Brooks guarded Harden and the two had some words for each other very early on and had to be separated.
  • The Grizzlies looked to swarm to the paint and keep the ball out at all costs, which resulted in some open early looks for P.J. Tucker, who cashed in a corner triple, and a shooting foul for Embiid. It also resulted in Embiid losing the ball on a few of his takes to the hoop.
  • Desmond Bane had the hot hand to start the game for Memphis, scoring 19 points in the first quarter thanks in part to some defensive miscues from Philly. The Sixers' offense, devolving into iso-ball and coming up empty often, scored only 22 in the opening frame and trailed by 15 at the end of it. Melton and Tucker each picking up a pair of fouls didn't help Philly, though Brooks and Brandon Clarke (who started in place of the injured Steven Adams) also did the same.
  • The Sixers opened the second quarter with a Harden-and-bench lineup in a 2-3 zone. The Grizzlies answered with some tough shot-making and foul drawing on what seemed like every other trip down the court. Maxey and Harden got buckets when they could but the defense was just appalling.
  • With Embiid in a dismal shooting funk and the rest of the offense failing to make up for it against a tough defensive squad, the Sixers looked totally lost. An 8-0 run at the end of the first half and every Memphis player aside from Bane struggling from beyond the arc gave them a glimmer of hope even as Jackson connected on a shot-clock-beating heave from deep.
  • The Sixers trailed 59-47 at halftime.

2nd half

  • Embiid started to look more like himself on offense with his shot falling but also with some smart passes to get his teammates open. Harden hit a short fadeaway over the outstretched arm of Xavier Tillman Sr. to cut the deficit to six. Philadelphia still got called for foul after foul, with Melton picking up his fifth with over eight minutes left in the third quarter.
  • Morant was quiet in the first half but started giving Maxey the business in the third quarter, attacking the paint relentlessly and scoring an outsized portion of Memphis' shots. Maxey, however, scored on two layups and connected on a long lob with Jalen McDaniels to help cut the deficit to six by the end of the third quarter.
  • The Sixers offense went ice cold to start the fourth quarter while a well-rounded Memphis effort pushed the lead to 10 before two quick Maxey buckets changed that. Doc Rivers went with a Harden-Maxey-Harris-McDaniels-Tucker lineup to space out the floor and Harden scored an and-one.
  • Embiid subbed in for McDaniels but watched as David Roddy (the player the Grizzlies used with the draft pick they got in the Melton trade) scored two huge buckets to push the Grizzlies' lead to 11. The EmBeard pick-and-roll came back after a timeout to convert on an and-one layup, followed by a Harden triple.
  • The Sixers got the deficit to one point on a Maxey-assisted Harris triple with 3:38 left. Embiid tied it up with a jumper but Jackson took it right back. Embiid stuffed a wild Morant dunk attempt and Harris hit a triple to take the lead. After a wild scramble for the ball, Embiid ran out for an open dunk attempt. Pandemonium. The Sixers held onto the win. My goodness, what a ride.

Random thoughts:

  • In addition to Harden's headband, Shake Milton wore a shooting sleeve on his left forearm. I like both of the new looks.
  • Was Morant's dunk in the third quarter simply an easy play he made or was it a direct response to the Rights to Ricky Sanchez's “Ja Morant is Scared of Mac McClung” shirts with McClung himself in the building? Hmmmm.

The Sixers will have another nationally televised game on Saturday when they host the Boston Celtics.