Sixers center Joel Embiid is starting to return to form, with five straight 25-point outings

Joel Embiid is back to posting high-scoring performances after a slow start to the season.

The 76ers center is coming off Saturday night’s showing of 28 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in just three quarters against the Brooklyn Nets. It was his fourth double-double of the season and his second in a row.

Embiid has crossed the 25-point mark five consecutive times, which is tied for the NBA’s third-longest active streak, despite playing in only 13 games so far. The 2023 league MVP will have to wait a few days for an opportunity to extend the streak.

He was sidelined for Monday night against the Phoenix Suns at the Wells Fargo Center with a sprained left foot.

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“It’s day to day,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid’s foot. “He hurt it a couple of days ago. It’s been trying to get back in there, but not good enough to go today. But it’s not nothing major.”

Digging deeper on his statistics, Embiid has averaged 30.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block in his last five games. He shot 50% from the field, 56.3% on three-pointers, and 89.5% from the foul line during the stretch. Embiid went 10-for-10 from the foul line on Saturday, marking his fourth straight game with at least 10 makes.

The seven-time All-Star has played in six of the Sixers’ last seven games. Before that, Embiid missed 19 of the first 26 games because of left knee swelling, load management, a right sinus fracture, and a three-game suspension.

Embiid’s scoring output is hardly a surprise. In addition to being a former league MVP, he won consecutive NBA scoring titles in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He was named a 2023 All-NBA first-teamer and garnered four All-NBA second-team honors.

Tyrese Maxey is starting to change the narrative about his game.

Heading into this season, the Sixers point guard was recognized as an elite scorer who struggled to defend. However, Maxey is second in the league in steals at 2.1 per game. He has had a career-high five steals on two occasions this season.

» READ MORE: Sixers are slowly starting to see the fruits of their labors amount to wins, particularly on the road

Maxey first accomplished that feat against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 27 and duplicated it vs. the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. He has had nine games with at least three steals, already surpassing his total of eight such games last season. And for even more context, the fifth-year veteran had only accomplished that feat six times through his first three NBA seasons.

Sixers swingman Paul George is averaging 1.8 steals through 23 games. However, he isn’t listed among Monday’s league leaders because he has played in only 69.6% of the Sixers’ games. Players must compete in 70% of games to be eligible.

The four-time all-defensive selection played Monday against the Suns. He’ll be listed among the top six steals leaders following the game if he plays.

Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon, and assistant coach Bryan Gates are former members of the Suns.

Oubre played from the team from 2018-20, averaging 17.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 96 games with 67 starts. Gordon played for Phoenix last season, averaging 11.0 points in 68 games (24 starts). Gates was an assistant coach for the Suns from 2021-23.