Inside Sixers: Big rookie moments, a Buddy Hield reunion, and more from an inconsistent road trip

Stephen Curry calmly pump-faked around an in-flight Joel Embiid, then raised his own arms in celebration when his first three-pointer went splash.

Tyrese Maxey knew it was unwise to give arguably the greatest basketball shooter of all time a clean look to begin Thursday’s matchup between the 76ers and Golden State Warriors. But that sparked an avalanche of deep-range efficiency that even Curry has never experienced. He went 8-for-8 from three-point range in the Warriors’ 139-105 rout, the most three-pointers in a game without a miss during his Hall of Fame career.

How does it feel to be on the opposite side of such an outburst?

“It doesn’t feel great,” a matter-of-fact Maxey said from his locker following the game.

» READ MORE: Back at the scene of his knee injury, Joel Embiid is on the ‘right path’ to a return to form

That is how the Western Conference portion of this road stretch ended, tilting a positive Sixers surge into a disappointing NorCal back-to-back. Following wins at the defending-champion Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers, the Sixers blew a late lead at the Sacramento Kings on New Year’s Day, before a miserable showing on both ends of the floor against the Warriors the following night.

“We’ve got to regroup, man,” coach Nick Nurse said before his team flew cross-country ahead of a Saturday matchup at the Brooklyn Nets. “Go get this next one, and it ends up being a decent road trip.”

Here are some scenes that peppered the Sixers’ West swing:

In a season (and franchise era) already filled with weirdness, add Eric Gordon’s longer-than-expected absence after getting two wisdom teeth pulled to the list. The veteran guard missed four games, including the Sixers’ Christmas win at Boston that also happened to be his 36th birthday.

On the surface, the common oral surgery is actually quite relatable to non-professional athletes. But Gordon’s procedure was unscheduled, after he said he began feeling abrupt “random” pain in his mouth area. In the aftermath, he continued to have migraines, swelling, and trouble eating solid foods.

Gordon acknowledged frustration about the timing, since he was just getting back into the Sixers’ rotation following rookie Jared McCain’s knee surgery. While sidelined, Gordon attempted to keep up conditioning through pregame workout.

Then, his return against the Kings provided an instant boost, going 3-of-5 from three-point range in the first half and also notching a block and transition layup. Nurse later put Gordon in the crunch-time lineup, though he missed a key three-pointer during the Kings’ 15-0 run to erase a nine-point deficit and win.

When asked how he felt after the game, Gordon said, “It’s painful, but it’s manageable.”

As Embiid took second-half free throws Thursday, he and Maxey engaged in friendly banter with Buddy Hield.

The long-range shooter was the Sixers’ trade-deadline acquisition last season, who then joined the Warriors over the summer.

Hield said the in-season move taught him about learning tendencies and adjusting to playing styles on the fly. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 32 games with the Sixers, and made his first-career playoff appearance last spring.

Though Hield does not descend too far into what-ifs, he did express disappointment that last season’s Sixers “didn’t accomplish more than we did” amid Embiid’s knee surgery. Hield also highlighted his 20-point Game 6 performance in the playoffs against the New York Knicks — after recording two total points during the series’ previous five games — as an example of “what we all envisioned.”

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Paul George takes accountability for late blunders in loss at Kings, but rips ‘ticky-tack’ officiating

After the season, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey acknowledged Hield’s addition did not pan out as well as he had hoped, at least partially because he never got an extended stretch to play off Embiid. When the Sixers signed Paul George to a max contract over the summer, that led to the departures of key role players such as Hield, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, and Cameron Payne.

Coincidentally, the Warriors’ season has been a direct counter to the Sixers’, with a hot start followed by a rough stretch before Thursday’s blowout win at Chase Center. Hield initially looked like a Sixth Man of the Year contender, but had hit only 26.7% of his three-pointers over his last 10 games entering Saturday.

Still, Hield’s reputation as a “good vibes guy” fits on a Warriors team that has prided itself on playing with joy. A bonus: A dynamite long-range shooter is now teammates with an all-timer in Curry.

“Probably one of the humblest guys I’ve ever been around,” Hield said of Curry. “When he competes, he has an edge to him. And he works so hard. You see why he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game — if not the greatest.”

After dropping 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting in Monday’s Delaware Blue Coats’ home win over the Long Island Nets, Justin Edwards learned he would be leaving the next day to fly cross-country to meet the Sixers in Sacramento.

That trip yielded somewhat surprising first-half minutes for the two-way rookie against the Kings, when Edwards guarded certified professional scorer DeMar DeRozan during his first legitimate NBA appearance.

“I watched a lot of highlights,” Edwards said of how he prepared to match up against DeRozan. “So I knew what he wanted to do. I got two fouls, but that was just off of me being too handsy.”

Edwards said he had been tipped off upon arriving in Sacramento that he might be needed in that game. The Sixers were on the front end of a back-to-back, and starting wing Kelly Oubre Jr. had injured his hand during Monday’s win at the Portland Trail Blazers.

Yet Edwards — a Philly native and former five-star recruit out of Imhotep Charter, who went undrafted following one season at Kentucky — said the NBA action felt “normal … because I’ve been preparing to get my name called.” He added that getting significant G League repetitions has helped slow the game down.

“When I first got here, it was really fast,” Edwards said. “I didn’t know what to do and how to do it. But now that the game has slowed down, I can make the right reads.”

A large group wearing Sixers gear — including some in No. 30 jerseys — gathered behind the basket inside the Golden1 Center Wednesday.

They were rookie center Adem Bona’s host family, who opened their home when he arrived in the United States as a teenager to play at Prolific Prep in Napa, located about 60 miles from Sacramento.

“This is the level I’ve always dreamed to be at,” Bona said at that morning’s shootaround. “So to have people that saw me from the early stage working toward this goal, to be able to watch me accomplish my goal, I think that’s big for me.

“We’ve all talked about this moment for a long time, and this is the closest to home for me — obviously my home in the United States.”

Bona is originally from Nigeria, where his mother, Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro, raised five children. At 13 years old, Bona then moved to Turkey to play youth and professional basketball, before coming into the States.

Donna and John Cordeiro did not initially think they would take in another Prolific Prep student, but Donna said her “bleeding heart” could not resist.

As Bona blossomed into a five-star recruit, John accompanied him on recruiting visits to Kansas, Kentucky, Baylor, and eventual college choice, UCLA. They were with Bona in Philly as he was introduced as a Sixer over the summer, after being selected in the second round of the NBA draft.

And Donna still receives Friday FaceTime calls from Bona. Some of their fondest memories with him have nothing to do with basketball, such as his delighted reaction to the nine-foot door frames and holding his first birthday party at their home.

“We’re his United States family,” Donna said from the stands. “The best gift is [that] his mom trusted in us. She, more or less, turned him over to us and said, ‘OK, you raise him.’”

Bona said his crowd of about 20 family and friends would include his high-school principal and pastor, among others. The Cordeiro family also made the trip to Thursday’s game at Golden State.

“It’s an amazing way to start the year,” Bona said.