The Sixers returned to their home floor on Monday for the last time before embarking on a six-game road trip. Their opponents: phenom Victor Wembanyama and the upstart San Antonio Spurs. Monday's game between the Sixers and Spurs marked the first NBA competition between Wembyanama and Joel Embiid since Embiid's 70-point game last season.

In his starting lineup, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse opted to go with Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, KJ Martin and Joel Embiid. Nurse expressed plenty of gratitude prior to the game kicking off that his team was near full strength. The only players unavailable to Nurse were rookie Jared McCain, who remains out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and Eric Gordon, who was listed as out due to oral surgery.

Of course, it could never be that simple. Some of the most absurd chaos you will ever see took over this game, and part of the insanity was Embiid being ejected in the second quarter after playing just 14 minutes. This came after Andre Drummond was ejected... and then brought back into the game. But it came before Drummond was removed from the game due to an injury.

This one had the makings of a defensive slugfest for a while before the offenses exploded. Wembanyama was brilliant, with Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele leading the way for the Sixers for much of the contest. The Sixers took control of a close game in the third quarter, but Wembanyama and the Spurs fought back with a barrage of threes. As it had to, this game went down to the wire, and Maxey got the job done with outstanding late-game heroics.

Here is what stood out from the Sixers' hard-fought, bizarre 111-106 victory on Monday: 

Embiid takes it to Wembanyama early

All eyes were on the two superstar centers as soon as this game began, and it was the veteran who had the advantage early. Embiid forced a missed Wembanyama three on the game's opening possession, then drew a quick foul against the 7-foot-3 Frenchman. Embiid played the first 10 minutes of the game -- a longer stint than he has usually played to open games this season -- and scored nine points while also grabbing three rebounds.

Perhaps more importantly, George was able to establish an early groove, scoring six early points after a pair of lackluster scoring outings on Friday and Saturday nights:

Wembanyama immediately asserted himself as a defensive force -- as he does every night -- but missed all three of his shots in his opening stint of action.

Nurse throws some early curveballs, but Sixers offense sputters

Not many would have been able to guess Nurse's first two substitutions in this game: veteran point guards Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson. Lowry has been struggling significantly of late, calling into question whether the 38-year-old is fit for any minutes whatsoever. Jackson, who only ended up playing two minutes in the first half, has rarely been part of Nurse's rotation all year and has struggled when called upon.

Predictably, the Sixers' offense struggled massively -- lineups lacking scoring firepower facing the most dominant defensive player in the NBA are doomed from the start. Wembanyama blocked four shots in the first quarter alone, and added three more before halftime. Wembanyama's most ridiculous stretch came at the end of the first quarter, when he swatted back-to-back shots before the buzzer:

Little did we know that a 20-19 first quarter in favor of San Antonio would be the most normal this game felt.

Wembanyama, Drummond and the most confounding few moments in recent memory

In the second quarter., Wembanyama and Drummond appeared to be battling for position when Drummond pushed the second-year superstar to the ground. Drummond was whistled for a technical foul. Order appeared to be restored, and then Wembanyama looked to slip as he emerged from a pack of players seeking a pass. An official saw Wembanyama fall to the ground and immediately ejected Drummond. The only problem was... Drummond had not done anything.

Approximately one million separate absurdities took place in the aftermath. Drummond quickly went to the Sixers locker room, but upon reviewing the play, the officials rescinded his second technical foul. Sixers assistant coaches got his attention from the tunnel, and Drummond made his way back onto the floor and received a standing ovation:

The officials then called Wembanyama for a flopping technical, which enabled Maxey to shoot a free throw. But after Maxey converted at the line, the refs rescinded Wembanyama's technical, nullifying Maxey's point.

And this was only where the lunacy began.

Embiid ejected, escalating the chaos

Embiid picked up his third foul of the game late in the second quarter when he drove against Wembanyama and was whistled for a charge. Embiid was furious, and eventually called for a technical of his own. Embiid simply could not contain his fury, leading to another technical, causing him to be ejected from the game:

Of course, it is unclear exactly what Embiid said to elicit the first technical foul. It could stand to reason that he was so outraged because he felt he had not said or done anything to cross a line, but given how many games Embiid has been unable to participate in this season, being ejected from a game like this is just the absolute worst-case scenario beyond another injury taking place.

The Sixers held a one-point lead over San Antonio at halftime despite Wembanyama beginning to find his groove from beyond the arc despite a heavy chorus of boos.

Yabusele takes it to his countryman

Manning the middle against Wembanyama to open the second half in Embiid's place was Yabusele, who spoke with reporters on Monday morning about the challenges of playing against Wembanyama, his teammate on the French men's national basketball team.

Well, Yabusele came out firing. And he played without any sort of fear of Wembanyama's presence, whether that meant shooting high-arcing threes or challenging Wembanyama on drives to the rim like this one:

Nurse quickly made the decision that for the remainder of the game, he would mirror Yabusele's minutes with those of Wembanyama -- meaning whenever the Spurs brought their franchise cornerstone into the game, Yabusele would be on the floor to handle the assignment. That became an easier decision when Drummond was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a left big toe contusion. Not exactly your typical day at the office for Drummond.

Maxey leads the charge as Sixers take control, Caleb Martin shows signs of life

With Embiid no longer available and George in the midst of yet another subpar shooting performance, the Sixers desperately needed a strong showing from Maxey, and the All-Star point guard delivered in every way.

Maxey scored the ball efficiently and had a strong night both as a passer and on the glass, giving the Sixers the exact sort of all-around excellence they needed in light of the circumstances.

Another critical component of the Sixers' push was Caleb Martin, whose unimaginably tough start to the season has been well-documented. Prior to the game, Nurse once again expressed confidence that the 29-year-old wing was on his way to returning to his peak form, and Nurse's faith was rewarded with a few enormous threes -- including one set up by a gorgeous shot fake from Yabusele:

However, the Spurs would not go away.

Spurs erase double-digit deficit with three-point shooting

Give Wembanyama this: in the face of many thousands of angry Philadelphians, the 20-year-old was unmoved -- and so were the Spurs, who followed the lead of their best player by draining triple after triple to knot things up in the game's final moments.

George's continued offensive struggles and the first rough game on that end of the floor in a while for Oubre really hurt the Sixers, who might have had some breathing room if even one of those players had a solid night.

Sixers emerge victorious thanks to Maxey's late-game heroics

From ridiculous Wembanyama threes to a desperation shot going in from Spurs point guard Chris Paul, to a Maxey steal and ensuing and-one, left-handed slam, the final moments of this game were absolute madness. But ultimately, it was Maxey who put the game on ice with big play after big play, capped off with a gigantic step-back three:

The 2024-25 season has not gone as planned for Maxey. But on this night, he reminded everyone why he is special -- and delivered the Sixers a win in the process.

Up next: The Sixers will now head to Boston for a Christmas Day battle against the defending champion Celtics. After that high-profile matchup, they will depart for four games on the West Coast.

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