Embiid Tossed, Maxey Carries Sixers to W Over Spurs

In the 2024-2025 NBA season, any Sixers fan lucky enough to attend a game where Joel Embiid is playing has to be delighted. As those fans found out last night, starting doesn’t always mean finishing, especially where power-tripping officials decide to make the proceedings about respecting their auth-or-i-ty.

Elsewhere, the Phillies continue to see pitching as their new calling card, while the Flyers continue to give goals away like Santa on the lash.

Hope you were good this year….

In the email today:

• 🤠 Sixers Slip By Spurs After Embiid Ejected In Ref Show

• ⚾️ Phillies Add Veteran Righthander to Suddenly Loaded Staff

• 🐧 Flyers' Defensive Woes Continue In Rout Loss to Pens

  • 📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

  • 📊 Poll

  • 🔗 Links

  • 📺 Coming Up

On the rare nights the Sixers have Joel Embiid healthy and available, they understandably lean on him heavily.

Fans at the Wells Fargo Center know that Embiid is never guaranteed to finish a game he starts. But no one saw this coming:

Think pieces abound about why NBA ratings are down. We don’t know whether people are really tired of endless three-pointers and stars’ load management, though that makes sense enough.

We’re really confident that no one buys overpriced NBA tickets to watch referees make the game about their feelings.

As if that wasn’t enough, the same crew initially also ejected Andre Drummond, then somehow UNEJECTED HIM.

Totally normal league.

Tyrese Maxey took the Sixers home with eight of his game-high 32 points late in the fourth quarter to redeem what was otherwise an unnecessarily weird game.

Another silver lining arising from this fiasco is that Embiid — who only played 14 minutes — might be available for the Sixers in Boston Christmas Day. Here’s hoping.

No one here is going to tell you the Phillies were better off letting Juan Soto go to the Mets. Or watching Max Fried end up in Yankees pinstripes.

Those were splashy signings. The Phillies seem intent on not ending up stuck with too many overpriced veterans on the back ends of expensive contracts. Any more than they are likely to be, anyway.

You can never have enough pitching, so the adage goes. Give the Phillies this: If they aren’t going to upgrade the offense beyond Max Kepler, they’re going to need to win some games with pitching and defense.

Yesterday, the Phillies added another versatile arm in journeyman righthander Joe Ross:

• The Phillies signed Ross to a one-year deal worth $4 million.

• Ross, 31, has a 4.19 career ERA across seven MLB seasons, primarily with the Nationals.

• In 2024, Ross pitched for the Brewers, posting a 3.77 ERA in 25 games (10 starts, 15 relief appearances).

• Ross is expected to serve as a long reliever and potential spot starter for the Phillies in 2025.

• The Phillies' anticipated Opening Day rotation includes newly-acquired Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez.

• Top prospect Andrew Painter is also expected to debut in the summer.

Voices around baseball have taken notice of the Phillies’ projected starting rotation and their options as the 2025 season draws ever nearer.

It remains to be seen whether the Phillies, who play in a comparative bandbox at home, can turn themselves into a pitching-dominant club.

With their core offensive players a year older, though, the Phillies might not have a choice.

Some day, Sidney Crosby will retire from professional hockey. Sid the Kid is 37 years old now. He can’t play forever.

Although, come to think of it, if Crosby could play against the Flyers every night, he might never retire.

Crosby tacked on an empty-net goal in the third period to make it 133 points (56 of them goals) in his career against the Flyers. That’s the most points by any one player against the Flyers in NHL history. The Flyers ultimately lost this one 7-3.

Crosby’s big night also put him in elite company in Penguins history.

By now you’ve noticed we haven’t said anything about the Flyers yet. OK, you asked for it.

The Flyers were down 4-1 after one period. They clawed back to within two goals with 20 minutes left to go with tallies from Noah Cates and proud dad Sean Couturier.

Head coach John Tortorella pulled starting netminder Sam Ersson in favor of Aleksei Kolosov for the third period. Kolosov kept the Penguins off the board until Crosby killed the game off into the empty net with 2:30 left.

It was another very quiet night for Matvei Michkov. Reasonable minds wonder whether Michkov might be headed for another respite.

Maybe. But last we checked, Michkov isn’t the reason why the Flyers have coughed up 28 goals in five games (four of them losses).

This six-game road trip (longest of the season) heads west after Christmas, with the Flyers next taking the ice in Anaheim on December 28.

📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

Two short seasons ago, the Eagles dropped a 40-34 decision to the Cowboys in Dallas on Christmas Eve. Gardner Minshew threw for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Miles Sanders rushed for 65 yards on 21 carries and lost a fumble. The loss dropped the Birds to 13-2. They lost the following week against New Orleans at the Linc, then didn’t lose again until, well, you know.

📊 Poll

🔗 Links

• 🏥 Georgia’s national championship campaign will have to go on without their starting quarterback.

• ⚾️ The Astros appear to be preparing for life without Alex Bregman.

• 🏒 Rangers forward Matt Rempe was suspended for eight games after a vicious boarding/elbowing incident.

• 💵 Anthony Edwards isn’t any happier with NBA officials than the Sixers are, and his wallet will be lighter as a result.

📺 Coming Up

Games before our next send.

December 25, 2024

• Sixers at Celtics, 5:00 p.m. (ABC)

Thanks for reading. We’ll see you Friday. Merry Christmas!

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