PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid got back to playing the kind of game he expects from himself and nothing like the worst game of his career two nights prior.

Embiid had 33 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 97-91 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

He was scoreless Monday night in a 101-96 loss at Toronto. In 32 minutes against the Raptors, the star big man went 0-for-11 from the field, including 0-for-4 from the arc and missed all three of his free throws.

Against the Kings, he scored the first points of the game with an emphatic dunk 23 seconds in and had some key points late in the game to help Philadelphia improve to 8-0 at home. He finished 10-of-19 from the field and 12-of-14 from the free throw line.

"I should play like that every night," Embiid said. "After the last performance, I had to be a little more aggressive."

Embiid said he felt more "free" than he did being guarded by Toronto's Marc Gasol and a constant double-teamer, and Kings coach Luke Walton said his team wasn't able to execute its plan.

"Our plan was to double, but we didn't do a good job early," he said. "We were soft and late."

Of Embiid's 14 trips to the foul line, Walton said, "We have to be more disciplined."

Philadelphia rookie Matisse Thybulle scored all 15 of his career-best points in the second half. Thybulle was needed after Josh Richardson didn't return in the second half due to right hamstring tightness. Thybulle, who entered averaging 3.4 points, added four steals and two blocks while making all five of his shots, including three 3-pointers.

"You have to be ready for every opportunity," Thybulle said.

Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Dewayne Dedmon had 18 for the Kings. They were 1-3 on a four-game trip.

Hield, coming off a career-high 41 points at Boston on Monday night, made 3 of 12 3-pointers and 9 of 24 shots overall.

Sacramento closed within five, 92-87, thanks to a 14-2 run. But Embiid scored from close to put the 76ers up 94-87 and then hit a pair from the line to make it 96-87 with 1:41 left.

SHOOTING SIMMONS?

Ben Simmons' continued reluctance to shoot conventional jump shots remains an issue in Philadelphia. Simmons hit his first career 3-pointer against the Knicks on Nov. 20, but he hasn't tried a true 3 -- his shot-clock heave Monday at Toronto notwithstanding.

Coach Brett Brown repeatedly has defended his star point guard, saying that his jump shot will come in time. He again was asked several times prior to Wednesday's game about Simmons' shot.

"In general, I want him to shoot more," Brown said. "There are available shots he can look at more."

Brown said it's something Simmons continues to work on in practice.

Simmons drained a 13-foot turnaround jumper with 6:40 left in the first half, but then didn't touch rim with a try from similar distance a little under a minute later.

Simmons finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

HOME SWEET HOME

Philadelphia remained undefeated at home while selling out for the 101st straight contest.

"We love playing at home," Brown said. "This crowd respects, appreciates and pays for effort, and for the most part, I think that we give it."

TIP-INS

Kings: De'Aaron Fox (ankle) missed his eighth straight contest, and Trevor Ariza (personal) was out for his fifth straight game. ... The teams wrap up the two-game season series on March 5 at Sacramento. ... Philadelphia fans booed Nemanja Bjelica, who spurned the 76ers for Europe prior to last offseason.

76ers: Kyle O'Quinn (left calf) and Shake Milton (upper respiratory infection) didn't play. ... Richardson had nine points in 17 first-half minutes.

UP NEXT

Kings: Host Denver on Saturday night.

76ers: At New York on Friday night.

BOSTON -- It was a long five days between when Kemba Walker crashed to the floor in Denver on Friday and when he took the court with his Boston Celtics teammates Wednesday night at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

But on a night that was supposed to be all about Kyrie Irving, the man who replaced him here at point guard, Walker, played like he hadn't missed a minute, finishing with a season-high 39 points to lead the Celtics to a 121-110 victory over the Irving-less Nets in front of a raucous sellout crowd at TD Garden.

"I've been over it," Walker said after the game of the sprained neck he suffered against the Nuggets. "I mean, I could have played last game, honestly.

"But if I'm on the court, I'm on the court. That's really it. I wasn't out there thinking about anything. I wanted to win."

The Celtics were able to win, and they remain undefeated at home (7-0) this season, thanks in large part to Walker's heroics.

The Nets made 21 3-pointers -- including 19 after the first quarter -- and there were times when it appeared they could pull away from Boston. That was especially true in the second and third quarters, when they combined to go 15-of-28 from 3-point range.

Instead, Walker matched the Nets shot for shot, scoring 13 points in each of those quarters. That allowed the Celtics to stay in the game until Brooklyn began to cool as the second half wore on, and Boston's depth -- plus that home-court advantage -- could begin to work in its favor.

"Kemba kept us in it in the second quarter as they were going through their flurries of 3s," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "He kept hitting huge shots, and that allowed us to stay in the game.

"We've all seen many times when teams get hot, and it's hard to sustain over the course of the whole game. We knew how urgent we had to play in the second half, because of the way they were."

Given where things stood Friday night, when Walker was taken off the court in Denver on a stretcher after crashing into Semi Ojeleye's midsection, the Celtics were thrilled to have him back on the court so soon -- let alone playing the way he is.

"I would say so," Stevens said, when asked if both Walker's quick return and his play Wednesday were the best-case scenarios for Boston. "Sometimes it looks bad and it's not with head and neck injuries, and sometimes it looks not as bad and it can be really bad.

"We are all really happy that Kemba is OK and feel very fortunate. I know he does, too. For him to be playing and even feeling fresh five days later is good. He was unbelievable tonight."

While Walker was doing it all for the Celtics -- he was 13-of-24 from the field, 6-of-10 from 3-point range, 7-of-7 from the foul line and had six rebounds and four assists -- there was plenty of attention being paid to Irving, despite the fact he wasn't in the building.

The Nets announced last Friday that Irving, who has now missed seven straight games with a right shoulder impingement, wouldn't attend Brooklyn's three-game road trip.

At various points, the crowd chanted "Kyrie sucks!" and "Where is Kyrie?" It also spent plenty of time serenading Walker with cheers, including "MVP" chants in the fourth quarter.

"I don't really pay attention to the Kyrie stuff," Walker said. "That's just the fans and how they feel. That's not something I'm really paying close attention to. And of course the MVP chants are really great. It's always a great feeling to have support from your fan base, and I most definitely appreciate this fan base."

The teams play again in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon. The Nets haven't said if Irving will return.

"That's why you can't celebrate too much after a win," said Jaylen Brown, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. "It's always about the next one in this league. We've got to lock in. It's a weird opportunity, to get to play the same team twice, so we've got to be ready for the next game like we are today."

Veteran catcher Yan Gomes has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal to return to the World Series champion Washington Nationals, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.

Gomes caught the final out of Washington's World Series Game 7 win over the Houston Astros and will rejoin Kurt Suzuki as the Nationals' catching tandem.

Gomes was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a four-player trade in November 2018 and started 90 of 93 games he played last season while splitting duties behind the plate with Suzuki. He hit .223 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 43 RBIs while throwing out 30% of attempted base stealers.

The 32-year-old has a .245 average with 99 homers and 351 RBIs in seven big league seasons.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In a letter of apology addressed to general manager Brad Treliving, Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters acknowledged using offensive language in dealing with a Nigerian-born player 10 years ago in the minors.

Without referencing the words he used, Peters wrote in the letter that he knows his comments to Akim Aliu have been the source of both anger and disappointment. The letter was obtained by TSN and posted to Twitter. Peters added that the incident occurred in a "moment of frustration and does not reflect my personal values.''

A statement from Bill Peters, in the form of a letter to CGY GM Brad Treliving:: pic.twitter.com/YouP6ZABrm

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 28, 2019

He noted that following the incident, he was "rightfully challenged about my use of language" and "immediately returned to the dressing room to apologize to the team."

Peters did not refer to Aliu by name but said he regrets the incident and apologizes to anyone negatively affected by it, calling his comments "hurtful and demeaning."

The letter was released with Peters away from the team while the Flames and the NHL conduct an investigation into Aliu's allegations.

Treliving, who is overseeing the investigation into Peters, called it a "difficult three days for everyone."

"This investigation we're doing, I know everyone wants this done immediately and the world we live in is immediate,'' Treliving said. "I hope you can appreciate we're trying to do everything we possibly can to make sure we get it right and get all the information that needs to be gotten.''

Before issuing the letter, Peters had not commented or been with his team the past two days while the NHL and the team investigate allegations made by Aliu, who said Peters "dropped the N bomb several times" because he didn't like the player's choice of music. The alleged confrontation happened during the 2009-10 season while the two were with the Chicago Blackhawks' minor league affiliate in Rockford, Illinois.

Peters traveled with the team to Buffalo on Tuesday, a day after Aliu posted his allegations on Twitter. But Peters' whereabouts were unknown, with the Flames saying only that he wouldn't be behind the bench for Calgary's game Wednesday at Buffalo. Associate coach Geoff Ward assumed head-coaching duties as the Flames won 3-2 in overtime.

Peters also was accused this week of punching and kicking players while he was in Carolina.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Wednesday "for sure that happened" in backing a former player's complaints of Peters physically going after his players behind the bench during his four seasons in Carolina.

Brind'Amour, who was an assistant on Peters' staff, said he was proud of the way players and support staff handled what happened by immediately bringing their concerns to team officials.

"Management handled it directly and never heard of it again and never saw anything else after that," said Brind'Amour, who spoke to reporters in New York before the Hurricanes' game against the Rangers. "So it was definitely dealt with, in my opinion, correctly. ... We've definitely moved past that."

Brind'Amour took over as coach after Peters opted out of his contract following the 2017-18 season. Peters was then immediately hired by the Flames, and he led the team to a 50-win season and a Pacific Division title in his first year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green returned for Wednesday might's game against the Chicago Bulls after missing the past three games because of a right heel injury.

After Monday morning's shootaround, Green said he was hopeful he would be able to play.

"It's getting better," he said. "Not great, but it's getting better."

Green said he had some inflammation in the heel but believed the injury was due in part to "wear and tear problems."

Green, who missed a week earlier this season because of a torn ligament in his finger, said these injuries were not out of the ordinary after all the minutes he has played year after year.

"It's pretty standard," Green said. "Always something going on. I think as you get older, you start to pay more attention to those bumps and bruises because you understand the body more ... it's not that I couldn't have played, but is it the smart thing to do?"

He added: "I leave every game with bumps and bruises no matter what, but I think in certain situations with certain things, you realize what's next. Like, if I don't take care of this, I'm going to go out there, I'm going to overcompensate, and then the left knee's going to start hurting. You just kind of start to figure all that out as you get older and just becoming more in tune with yourself."

BOSTON -- No time was wasted. As the lights dimmed and the player introduction video began to roll on the Jumbotron in TD Garden, the heckling began. The chants were loud, the booing was relentless, and signs denouncing the Boston Celtics' former star were abundant.

The target of the taunting, Kyrie Irving, was hundreds of miles away from TD Garden. Irving, who has missed the past seven games because of a right shoulder impingement, did not make the trip to face his former team. The rest of the Brooklyn Nets' players served as Irving's proxies.

"Where is Kyrie?" Celtics fans chanted.

"Kyrie sucks!" they screeched nearly every time Jarrett Allen went to the free throw line.

"It was better than I thought," Allen said. "They could've booed us every time we touched the ball. If Kyrie was here, it probably would've been 10 times worse."

In the fall of 2018, Irving told an arena full of Celtics fans that he intended to re-sign with Boston during his 2019 free agency. Instead, he chose the Nets alongside Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan. On Media Day in Brooklyn, Irving said that he meant it when he told fans he would re-sign. But then his grandfather died, basketball became less important to him, and over time, the Celtics' locker room grew fractured and chilly.

"I failed those guys," Irving said in September. "In terms of me being a leader in that environment and bringing everyone together, I failed."

It seems that the Celtics organization has largely forgiven Irving. The franchise has stuck to diplomatic talking points when speaking about Irving's tumultuous Celtics tenure. If the team had retained Irving, Boston would not have signed Kemba Walker, who has quickly become a fan favorite and has presided over the Celtics' 13-4 start to the season, including Wednesday's 121-110 win over the Nets.

Walker scored 39 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-10 on 3-pointers.

"I've said many times that I really enjoy Kyrie and wish him nothing but the best," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said before the game.

That nuance was unimportant on Wednesday. Outside the arena, fliers with the word "coward" stamped across Irving's face were plastered on telephone poles. Another leaflet depicted Irving as the cowardly lion from "The Wizard of Oz."

In the arena, fans held up signs that said "Kemba > Kyrie." Another poster had Irving's face superimposed over a photo of Waldo from "Where's Waldo?" Other fans had "Kanter" painted over where Irving's name had been on a No. 11 jersey.

By the fourth quarter, "Kyrie sucks" chants were not reserved for the Nets. It became a rally cry when the Celtics shot free throws and during dead balls as well.

Jos Buttler is an injury doubt for the second Test in Hamilton have suffered a back spasm in training.

Joe Root has confirmed that Ollie Pope will keep wicket if Buttler is unable to play.

Pope has kept in just five first-class games, the last of which was in February. Rory Burns, England's opening batsman, has also kept wicket at first-class level.

"Jos has tweaked his back in the gym," Root said. "We'll have to find out a little bit more information on that throughout today and see where he's at."

While the obvious replacement for Buttler might be Zak Crawley, the top-order batsman, Root hinted that Chris Woakes was another option.

"There's a number of different combinations we could go with and I think a lot of that will rely on the surface," Root said. "Trying to find the best combination which would take 20 wickets and then balancing that in terms of getting the batting where we want it to be. It could be an allrounder, we'll see."

More to follow

The Detroit Lions will start undrafted rookie David Blough at quarterback on Thanksgiving against the Chicago Bears due to injuries to Jeff Driskel and Matthew Stafford.

Driskell will serve as Blough's backup, and quarterback-turned-tight-end Logan Thomas could be a potential fallback option.

The Lions acquired Blough at the league's cut-down deadline after the preseason in a trade with Cleveland. They've kept him on the roster all season as a third quarterback, but he has yet to play a snap. Now he'll start.

Blough's opportunity came because Driskel, who has started in place of Stafford, has been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered Sunday against Washington. Driskel said Tuesday that the hamstring has "gotten better" day by day, but apparently not enough to start. In his two media sessions this week, Lions coach Matt Patricia said that if need be, Driskel could stay in the pocket more, though that would take away the mobility part of his game.

In preparation for this, the Lions have given Blough first-team reps during Detroit's two walkthroughs this week.

"We'll have competitive periods against offense versus defense, along with our preparation periods that we use each week," Patricia said. "We like to take those different kind of chances during the week to mix up some of the huddles and who is out there and who is not. We do it really at all positions, and certainly, Blough is one of those guys that it's important for us to do that with, too."

Blough will be the third starting quarterback for the Lions in a month after having Stafford start every game since the end of the 2010 season. He'll also be just the third quarterback since 1950 to make his first career start on Thanksgiving, joining Drew Henson (Cowboys, 2004) and Kent Graham (Giants, 1992), according to Elias.

Blough was Purdue's starting quarterback last season, throwing for 3,521 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball will not play in Wednesday's home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, coach Alvin Gentry told reporters.

Ball was sent home from practice Tuesday because of a stomach virus. Wednesday would've marked Ball's first game against his former team.

He's averaging 11.1 points and 5.7 assists in 11 games this season.

Also, Josh Hart (knee) will be available to play. He had been questionable before Wednesday.