Joel Embiid has the perfect reaction to his 1st dunk of the season

Joel Embiid he finally threw down his first dunk of the 2025-26 NBA season during Philadelphia 76ers‘ 130-119 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Embiid’s dunk came late in the game. That led to a playful celebration from the 31-year-old. With the outcome already decided, Embiid leaked in transition, caught a pass under the basket and finished the uncontested dunk for the final points of the night. He followed it up with an exaggerated celebration, throwing his hands in the air. The clip quickly went viral online.

After the game, Embiid snapped with a smileESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“It was whatever,” Embiid said. “It was easy. I wish it was off the board. … That’s the next step.”

Before the game, Embiid’s playing status was uncertain due to injury. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, who also scored 26 points, joked about Embiid’s dunk.

“Actually, I got up a little bit,” Edgecombe said of Embiid on the dunk.

Tyrese Maxey, who led all scorers with 36 points, took playmaking responsibility to set the stage.

“I was so happy,” Maxey said after the game. “So now it’s my fault because in the previous game I let him out of the pass thinking he wasn’t going to dunk it. Now he’s telling me to lob him. So I’m going to lob him and we’ll see how that goes.”

76ers coach Nick Nurse laughed off the moment, calling it easy, but added that it was still good to see Embiid check that box.

“You could see he wanted to get it,” the nurse said, then added with a laugh, “I think that was a pretty cheap way to get it. But at least we know he can still dunk, and he can check that off his list.”

Beyond the dunk, Embiid delivered a strong all-around performance. He finished with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his first game at Madison Square Garden since Game 5 of the 2024 playoffs.

Maxey’s scoring flurry led the Sixers to the victory and moved them to 19-14 on the season. The win pushed Philly to five games over .500 for the first time this season. With the victory, they took fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks, now 23-12, lost their third straight game while playing the second night of back-to-back games.

Philly ended its road trip with signs of improved chemistry throughout the roster. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford are expected soon. The Sixers appear poised to continue building momentum against a beaten Denver Nuggets team on Monday.