Player grades: Joel Embiid, 76ers come up short to Spurs to begin trip

The Philadelphia 76ers began their final 3-game road trip of the regular season with a visit to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. The Eastern Conference race is tight as teams jostle for position and the Sixers were looking to pick up an important win on the road against the No. 2 team in the West.

This was a battle as both teams got after it on both ends, but in the end, the Spurs proved to be too much as they walked away with a 115-102 win over the Sixers. While Philadelphia put up a strong effort, it wasn't enough. Spurs rookie Dylan Harper had 17 points while star big man Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, five rebounds, and three blocks before leaving with a rib contusion at halftime.

The Sixers were led by Joel Embiid with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks while Paul George had 16 points. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and eight rebounds while Tyrese Maxey had 15 and eight assists and Dominick Barlow had six and eight rebounds. Here are the player grades following the loss: Tyrese Maxey: B-minus The All-Star guard was limited in the early going as it was obvious the Spurs were trying to get the ball out of his hands.

Maxey had a rough start as he was unable to get much going on the offensive end of the floor in terms of his scoring, but he was able to make plays for others. His vision and playmaking were excellent. He finally got going with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, but other than that, it was a tough night for Maxey.