With Embiid out, the 76ers are sliding toward a play-in round that could have several stars in 2024

Less than two months ago, Joel Embiid scored 70 points in a game.

He's played twice since then, and this week his Philadelphia 76ers struggled to score 70 as a team.

At least they won that unsightly matchup, 79-73 over the New York Knicks. That snapped a three-game losing streak for Philadelphia. The previous game, the 76ers fell behind by 35 points in the second quarter of a home loss to New Orleans. Philadelphia is 7-15 since Embiid's 70-point game, largely because of the knee operation that's kept the reigning MVP off the court.

“It just seems like the list keeps getting longer every night and that’s not easy for anybody’s mentality or psyche, but I’m not giving no excuses,” said coach Nick Nurse, whose team was also without All-Star Tyrese Maxey the last four games. “There are some good players out there that need to play a heck of a lot better than they did.”