PHILADELPHIA – 237 days ago, a hobbled Joel Embiid went flailing into the crowd with a reckless, helpless contest as the third quarter of a miserable game ended. He sat and watched the final 2.1 seconds of the frame. Then stayed on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as his team mounted a comeback without him.

Before the Sixers took the court for their preseason finale on Friday night, Tyrese Maxey asked Embiid a question.

"Hey, are you excited?"

"Man," Embiid told him, "I'm so excited just to be out there to play."

237 days had passed since Embiid last appeared in an NBA game. He would only go so far describing the joy he felt playing in an exhibition, but Friday's return to action clearly brought the former NBA MVP a whole lot of relief.

"First of all, I'm just happy to touch

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