76ers' Joel Embiid Snapped Impressive Streak With Awful Performance vs. Heat

The MVP big man snapped a personal record that went back six years in a loss to Miami.
Embiid had 11 points on Monday night
Embiid had 11 points on Monday night / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

On Monday night the Philadelphia 76ers' miserable season continued in the form of a 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat. The defeat drops Philly to 2-11 on the year, and among the many issues plauging the team, Joel Embiid's play is most concerning.

The MVP big man returned from a knee injury and a suspension to make his season debut last week and is very clearly still playing himself back into shape. Embiid has struggled every night he's been out on the court and has shown few flashes of the dominant two-way play that has garnered him significant acclaim and success over the years. This concerning trend continued on Monday evening and led to Embiid snapping a rather impressive personal streak that reflects the dire state of affairs.

His 11-point performance against the Heat marked the first game in six years Embiid didn't attempt a free throw. For his career the center averages 10 free throws per game. Furthermore, Monday's contest was only the second game in his whole career Embiid did not attempt a free throw.

On the night Embiid had 11 points on 11 shots and was a -22 in 31 minutes played.

The Sixers are reeling and need Embiid back to his old self to right the ship. Which includes regular trips to the charity stripe. A stat to monitor as he continues to ramp up to playing shape.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.