As the calendar flips to 2026, the Philadelphia 76ers get to leave behind at least one flavor of a frequent question. Tuesday night’s 139-136 overtime win over Memphis brought the 76ers a first victory this season in a game started by Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey together. It was only the fifth attempt, granted. And the breakthrough only slightly hushes the volume on a line of questioning about a Big 3 that is 8-12 in games together since being constituted at the start of last season. But it represents progress of a sort. It may point to a way forward for a team that, despite a three-game losing streak to start its annual holiday road trip, has been in playoff position all season in the Eastern Conference. The “why” of the 76ers’ Big 3 struggles is a frequent talking point, though the symptomology was pretty simple to coach Nick Nurse after the group fell to 0-4 on Friday in a loss in Chicago. “It’s been a little sporadic in terms of when they play together,” Nurse said. “That doesn’t help. I’d really like 10 or 15 or 20 straight games so we can start building some stuff and figure out where to go, where to get some rhythm and synergy. It’s just so choppy of when they play together, as far as in consecutive games that it’s hard to build the rhythm.” There’s no mystery there, given the travails of Embiid’s oft-injured lower body and the nagging injuries that have followed George to Philadelphia. Embiid was present to start the season, then went out with aggravation in his non-surgically-repaired knee just about the time George was returning from his offseason knee surgery. Spike the mix with Maxey missing two games due to illness, a malady that Embiid apparently caught, and that’s four more games without one or the other. Through 31 games, Embiid has played 14 and George 15.  The team is .500 with Embiid in the lineup and a game up with George. They’re 2-5 when George and Embiid are in the lineup together. Games with all three have been few and far between. They’ve also tended to be lost in fourth quarters, which if you’re relying on stars who are either minutes-restricted or fighting to build game fitness, shouldn’t be a surprise. All three were together for the two-overtime loss to Atlanta on Nov. 30, then the home loss to the Lakers seven days later when LeBron James took over in the fourth. All three started on Dec. 23, but the 76ers’ rotation was otherwise diminished by a team-wide illness. They started alongside Jared McCain, his only start this season, and Jabari Walker. Game 4 was in Chicago, a game the 76ers led before the Bulls finished on a 13-2 run. Game 5 required 13 fourth-quarter points from VJ Edgecombe and the rookie’s game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in OT for that elusive first win. So yes, synergy is lacking. The 76ers still haven’t divined a plan to attack back-to-backs with two vets who can’t play both ends. Divide and conquer may lead to more wins; stacking George and Embiid will lead to more familiarity. The 76ers have survived six of 16 back-to-backs on the schedule. The Big 3 also increasingly looks like a Big 2. Embiid and Maxey scored 34 points each Tuesday night. George had 17, 10 in the first half. He shot 3-for-9 from halftime onwards. George increasingly looks the part of a role player. He averaged 16.2 points in 41 games last year. Through 15 this year, he’s at 16.1. This for a guy who hadn’t averaged fewer than 20 points per game in a full season since 2012-13. That’s not necessarily reason for concern: His 3-point shooting numbers are back up this year to 40.0 percent after a dip to 35.8 last year, though it’s balanced by plummeting shooting from 2-point range that can be messaged with altered shot selection. His defensive presence remains solid, his rebounding is an asset and he’s a cog in a team in the top half in the NBA in defensive rating. He can be a valuable piece without threatening to put up 25 each night. “We certainly got him going in the third, tried to stagger some different guys to do just that,” Nurse said in Chicago. “He was giving a lot on defense. He was really playing hard and was doing a lot at both ends, obviously on the boards, everything.” The 76ers have the potential for more balance than the Big 3 moniker might augur. Maxey is one of the league’s elite scorers. Embiid, when healthy, remains one of the league’s most efficient bucket-getters. The center has shown varying degrees of liveliness, off the bounce or on defense, as his health has fluctuated in recent weeks, though it’s generally trending upward. George’s scoring average is less than what Kelly Oubre sustained over the first 12 games of the season, mostly with George out. Oubre has missed 19 games with a knee ligament sprain but has resumed basketball activities. Edgecombe is averaging 15.9 per game with established fearlessness. Quentin Grimes, at 14.7 ppg, has raised his defensive game and is a valuable part of the closing unit. Support scoring options abound. The fascination with the Big 3 will remain, if only to justify the marketing lure of its original composition. But short of the overall win-loss, it’s feeling like a dated metric to gauge these 76ers. Contact Matthew De George at [email protected]. ...read more read less