Why Brian Windhorst believes Philly can win the Eastern Conference

After that The Philadelphia 76ers won a thriller against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, 128-122, the team moved to a 24-19 record and fifth in the Eastern Conference. With 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe sends a message in the NBA about the talents of the stars as Joel Embiid and Tyrese McKayESPN’s NBA analyst Brian Windhorst talked about the chances the team has on the line.

The conversation revolved around Embiid, who had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in his 24th game of the season in the win over the Rockets. Windhorst would go on to say that given how Embiid and McKay have played along with the rest of the players they have, East is “understandable” for the franchise this season.

“But if you have Embiid playing like this, and you have Maxey playing with an NBA player, and the supporting cast that they have. The Eastern Conference is acceptable for them. Let’s be honest,” Windhorst said.

Brian Windhorst says the 76ers could win the Easter Conference 😳

“If you have (Joel) Embiid playing like this and you have (Tyreez) Maxey playing like an All-NBA player, and the supporting cast that they have, the Eastern Conference is acceptable for them.”pic.twitter.com/kz15kmDI5b

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 23, 2026

Brian Windhorst on the health of 76ers’ Joel Embiid

The The 76ers are introduced by Maxi at the start of the All-Star game, and with Embiid back to his elite level of play, the team could be dangerous in the postseason. Windhorst talked more about Embiid and how he played 46 minutes in Thursday’s contest, which is a great sign of his health.

“Well, you look at this game, okay, triple double, great, unbelievable, ninth of my career. But I’m looking at 46 minutes,” Windhorst said. “They’re going into overtime. They’re like, ‘Joel, just keep playing,’ which means he’s feeling good. We’ve seen the dunks start to come in the last few weeks.”

“And he also trolls people on social media. After this he trolled his former teammate Furkan Korkmaz,” Windhorst continued. “So you know he’s on when he’s playing that many minutes. And let’s be honest, I have no idea if he can last. I hope he can.”

Either way, it remains to be seen if Philadelphia can move on to their next game on Saturday against the New York Knicks.