Joel Embiid benched as 76ers lose seventh straight game - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid got benched and the 76ers got beat at the horn.

A season full of championship hopes has turned into a debacle for the 76ers, the latest blight came against Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night when they lost their seventh straight game, this one on a buzzer-beating tip-in — and with Embiid on the bench.

A two-time NBA scoring champion, the oft-injured Embiid sat out the fourth quarter in the 105-103 loss after a rough three quarters. Embiid scored just 14 points in 31 minutes, missed all six 3-point attempts and was a bystander in the fourth when the 76ers rallied from 17 down to take the lead late, until they were finished off by Nic Claxton's winner at the horn.

Embiid, who signed a three-year, $193 million contract extension in September, declined to comment.

Embiid has been hobbled by injuries all season and was slow to get up late in the third when he lost the ball and hit the court. Embiid said earlier this week that he needed to «fix the problem» in his left knee to return to his dominant All-Star form.

«The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I'm playing right now,» Embiid said Thursday after the 76ers lost to Boston. «I probably need to fix the problem, and then I'll be back at that level. But it's hard to have trust when you're not yourself.»

He has played in just 19 of 56 games for the Sixers, who fell to 20-36 as their chances for a berth in the NBA play-in tournament fade.

«I mean I get it. Especially for how big he is, the size he is, and how he plays,» teammate Paul George said about Embiid's injuries. «It takes a toll. But I think the best thing for it is reps.… So, that was the best thing for me, just playing through it. Eventually, the body gets adjusted to it.»

Coach Nick