There is little doubt that Joel Embiid has been, in recent weeks, the best player in the NBA. Or as good as any, at least. To his deployment in attack he is adding a production behind own Defender of the Year, and the Sixers are going for a spot in the top 4 in the East, of course with an eye on the situation of Ben Simmons and the closing of the market on February 10. If reinforcements arrive, they can be as competitive as just about anyone in the East come the playoffs.. At least, with Embiid at the level of this game against the Magic (123-110).
While Doc Rivers avoided questions about what will happen the next three weeks with your staff, the Cameroonian center played one of the games of his life to crown one of the best basketball stretches of his entire career. One with an MVP scent. He scored 50 points, equaling his NBA high, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 3 blocks. And, most incredible of all, he did it all in 27 minutes and 3 seconds.. Since there is a shot clock (1954-55), it is the minimum court time to reach 50. Embiid scored 17 of his 23 shots and 15 of 17 free throws. A true shooting percentage of 82% with which he joined Wilt Chamberlain (11) and Allen Iverson (10) as the only players who have added more than one 50-point game with the Sixers jersey. “The most incredible thing is that he did it in 27 minutes. I played with Dominique Wilkins on the Hawks. I saw him score a lot, but he had complete matches. This has been easy, efficient, with a lot of determination”, Rivers finished.
Embiid finished with an average of 1.82 points per minute, the eighth highest number in all NBA history in a game. While it’s debated how much his team needs a second consistent scorer (one with more defensive ability and bigger game than Tobias Harris), he shot more from the free throw line than all of the Magic (17-16), he scored 20 of the 25 points for the Sixers in the first quarter, went into the break with 24 and added 23 in the third, when the game turned around (partial 47-23 and 94-80). A 16-6 to open the last quarter, (110-86) with three points more his, allowed him to go quickly to the bench. He had signed one of the most spectacular demolition jobs we’ve seen all season.
After Monday’s ugly loss against the Wizards, the Sixers foundered in the second quarter (22-36 and 47-57 at halftime). But they got back together in time, in part because they were playing against the worst team in the NBA, a Magic that are the only team that has not reached ten wins (8-38) and that sank after playing a good first half. One illuminated by a Mo Bamba who also experienced the night of his career: 32 points and 7/8 triples, all in the first half in which he finished with 28 points. That’s as far as the Magic, who in the 27 minutes in which Embiid played scored 52 points, only two more than the center who, in addition to producing non-stop in attack, completely devoured the game with his defense. pick and roll of a rival finally overcome. It’s 26-18 for the Sixers, who are the best team in the top East in the last 10 games (8-2). And that they have a player, Joel Embiid, who right now is one of the favorites for both Defender of the Year and MVP. Beware the.
