Joel Embiid’s 36 points and 14 rebounds in the center of Philadelphia ran on the 76ers and Clippers striker Paul George led LA with 37 points and nine rebounds.
The 76ers led 104-98 with 47.7 seconds Ahead, but a three-pointer from Marcus Morris Sr. Dunk and Reggie Jackson shortened the lead to 104-103 with 21.2 seconds.
Philadelphia shooter Danny Green responded with two free throws to bring the 76ers to three . LA still had a chance to tie, but Embiid rebounded with a missed Morris three-pointer to end the game.
Both teams were understaffed. Notably, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard sat with a sore right foot and Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris paused due to pain in his right knee.
The Clippers continued to miss security guard Patrick Beverley (fourth metacarpal fracture on left hand) and Serge Ibaka (tightness in the lower back). Also seated for the 76s were security guard Seth Curry (left hip flexor tightness) and Dwight Howard (left knee pain).
The 39-17 76s have won four straight wins, and the 39th’s seven-game streak has won -19 Clippers was a loss.
Embiid has scored 36 or more points in each of his last three games. Likewise, the 76’s opponent’s top scorer scored 32 or more points in each of these three competitions.
However, the big man’s team has ruled victorious every time. Embiid averaged 37.0 points per game over this stretch, enough to fend off the efforts of Luka Doncic (32 points) of the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving of Brooklyn Nets and Paul George (37 each) of the Los Angeles Clippers.
On Friday, the appearances of Embiid and George Kyle Neubeck from Philly Voice made this tweet out:
Embiid was simply sensational on a night in which only one teammate (Furkan Korkmaz) scored more than 12 points . He shot 10 of 20 from the field and 16 of 18 from the free throw line. The ex-Kansas star only made two sales despite his enormous use.
He and the 76ers opened the game with a 20-3 run that included that quick end:
That sleek one-legged jumper over Ivica Zubac helped him to 28 points ahead of the fourth quarter:
It was another great achievement from Embiid who has joined a great company in franchise history according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Beat the Philadelphia 76ers the LA Clippers and improved to 22-6 (.786) in clutch time games that season.
Joel Embiid is the first 76ers player with 3 direct 35-point games since Allen Iverson in January 2006. https://t.co/tdzgOJN3IU
Joel Embiid has an ORtg of 123, a DRtg of 103 and a Usage rate of 35.1%
No player since 1973, the first year we can calculate possessions, has hit all three numbers in one season https://t.co/a0Vur5DB2g
Embiid’s hot goal won’t last forever, but most importantly that his excellent game kept Philadelphia on the pace to take first place in the east.
George entered this game with an average of 34.3 points at 55.2 percent shooting, 6.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds in his last four games. He scored 32 or more in each competition, all of which ended in Clipper wins.
George was under pressure to race against one of the best teams in the NBA without his co-star in Leonard, and he would have the Clippers almost brought to their eighth win in a row.
PG-13 now scores 34.8 points in his last five games after hitting 14 of his 29 field attempts on Friday with a season high. He scored a goal in every way while engaging his teammates at the same time.
George finished with six assists, including a cent for Patrick Patterson (18 points) and another for Zubac:
And he also participated in the triple fire Clippers took part, hitting four of the team’s 19 that night:
He was never better than in the third quarter when he scored 15 points to give himself 32 before the fourth.
Embiid and the 76 were Too much in the end, but George and the Clippers were brilliantly defeated.
LA will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at 10pm. ET at the Staples Center. Philadelphia will stay home at 7:30 pm on Monday to host the Golden State Warriors.
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Ref: https://bleacherreport.com
