Joel Embiid Too Much as Rockets Fall to 76ers

Following an embarrassing performance against the 76ers, the Houston Rockets fell to 1-4 on their current six-game road trip amid a loss in Philadelphia.

Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka called his first timeout 1:10 into Monday's interconference match against the Philadelphia 76ers. The terrible start for the Rockets led to a 124-115 loss to the 76ers inside the Wells Fargo Center.

Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid dominated in his return from injury with 41 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block during the win. He had 26 points at the half, which led to Philadelphia leading Houston 66-47.

"Some of the things that we talked about during pre-game and showed on film, they did the opposite from the first few possessions," Udoka said. "They are a team that swarm to the ball, play physical, that happened during the first few possessions. That was the reason for the quick timeout."

Embiid had missed seven of the 76ers' last 10 games due to an ongoing lower leg injury. He missed the previous three contest before taking on the Rockets.

Six players scored in double figures for Houston. Jalen Green led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists. Alperen Şengün finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the loss.

The 76ers, who nailed 15 triples in the win, held a 33-19 lead entering the second quarter. Houston struggled from behind the arc, shooting 29.6 percent from deep while making eight 3-point field goals.

"Not a great start," Udoka said. "We had our moments to get back into it. But we have to come out with that focus from the start to not put us in that hole."

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Road struggles are starting to become unbearable:

The Rockets are now 1-4 on their current six-game road trip. But more importantly, Houston remains one of the league's worst teams away from its home court. They have recorded a 4-14 record on the road and are now under .500 (19-20) for the first time since their 0-3 start to the season. The Rockets have now dropped eight of their last nine games against the 76ers.

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Another solid day for Tyrese Maxey:

After scoring 42 points in their previous meeting against the Rockets, Tyrese Maxey had a solid performance to help the 76ers take a 2-0 regular-season victory over Houston. He finished with 27 points on 8 of 18 shooting. However, he had an efficient day shooting from behind the arc by connecting on 6 of 10 attempts.