Opening night was full of extremes for the Philadelphia 76ers . Joel Embiid was terrible. Not only did he finish the night with four points on nine shots, but he did so against a Celtics team that lost essentially its entire front court to injuries, free agency or trades over the summer. Philadelphia won the game because Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe went nuclear in a 74-point explosion. It was as if we were watching a franchise change hands in real time, 48 minutes of Wally Pipp getting benched for Lou Gehrig. The 2023 MVP was the past. The 24-year-old All-Star and the No. 3 overall pick were the future.

That's still probably true, but Philadelphia fans can breathe easy knowing that Wednesday's Embiid is starting to feel a bit more like the aberration after a far stronger Satur

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