Joel Embiid Continuing to Dominate Anthony Davis Despite Injuries Sparks Fan Debates

Joel Embiid dominated Anthony Davis in their latest clash as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks.

Joel Embiid Continuing to Dominate Anthony Davis Despite Injuries Sparks Fan Debates

Joel Embiid (Left) and Anthony Davis (Right) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Both Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis have had their fair share of injuries throughout their careers. And the 2025-26 campaign has been no different. Embiid has played in 15 games out of a possible 32 games while Davis returned to court after missing the last two games and has played in just 17 games out of 35 games. In fact, the match on Thursday was their first matchup since 2023. Since Embiid got drafted into the league in 2014, the two bigs have faced each other just eight times.

It was Joel Embiid who came on top as the Philadelphia 76ers recorded a convincing 123-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night. The 76ers center has crossed the 20-point mark in his last six games and scored 22 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis was ruled out due to another injury for a week and struggled on his return as he recorded only 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

The win propelled the 76ers to 18-14 as they are currently placed at fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. During Embiid’s absence, it was Tyrese Maxey who carried the offensive workload for the 76ers and has played at an MVP level as he is currently third in the league for points per game behind Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Dallas Mavericks have suffered four losses in a row and find themselves at 13th with a 12-23 record in a highly competitive Western Conference.

Everyone is aware of what both players are capable of when in top condition, but they have struggled with injuries and fitness so far. Embiid is currently averaging 22.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while Davis is averaging 20.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists so far this season. Both franchises will be hoping that their big men stay healthy for the remainder of the campaign.

Fans react to Joel Embiid dominating Anthony Davis

Joel Embiid is coming off a season where he played just 19 games. With the number of injuries and setbacks he has been through in his career, analysts and pundits believed he may have to call an early retirement to his career.

But after the Thursday night game, fans were stunned that Embiid was able to dominate Davis and troll the former Lakers star across social media. Here are some of the reactions:

Philadelphia Big Three are finally stepping up

The trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have not played many games this season. After going 0-4 in their first four games together, they have won their last two games. After the rise of Maxey, George has been more of a third option for the 76ers.

Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey
Joel Embiid (Left), Paul George (Middle) and Tyrese Maxey (Right) (Image credits – MARCA)

76ers Head coach Nick Nurse was pleased with his team’s performance on Thursday and spoke about his big three in the post-match press conference.

I think probably the best overall for all three of them that we’ve seen in any stretch. Other than a little bit of a shaky defensive start, I thought for the most part everybody played pretty well.

If the trio can gel and figure out how to get the best of each other, then the 76ers can pose a real challenge in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

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