It looked as if the Philadelphia 76ers’ three-game winning streak was ending against the Portland Trail Blazers, but an impressive comeback saw them win 120-119. MVP candidate Joel Embiid scored the game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining, giving the hosts their first lead of the game.
The win was Sixers’ fifth in six games in March. The Blazers dominated much of the contest, leading by as much as 21 points, and never tied with the hoasts until midway through the fourth quarter.
The hosts were poor in the first half, but the tide started to turn for them in the second half, thanks to Embiid’s heroics. He finished with 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.
For the visitors, Anfernee Simons finished with 34 points, including eight three-pointers. Damian Lillard had a quiet game. He scored 22 points and made two of his eight three-point attempts.
Embiid’s reaction to huge win Embiid is in the race for the MVP award this season.
He is averaging 33.4 points per game, the best in the NBA. He explained his game-winner.
“Yeah, that’s the perfect spot, honestly, especially from my previous years,” Embiid said. “I’ve had a couple of opportunities of game winners and stuff and we kept trying to post. It’s easy to double and there’s not enough space.
But when you get enough in those positions at the nail or the top of the key, the court is wide open because, most of the time, guys don’t want to give up 3s, via ESPN.
JOEL EMBIID CALLED GAME.
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2023
SIXERS WIN IN PHILLY. pic.twitter.com/E6eD8iHr69
The 28-year-old now has 23 games with 35 or more points this season, tying Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal in 1999/2000 as the most by a center since then. The Sixers are third in the Eastern Conference with a 444-22 record, four games behind leaders Milwaukee Bucks and 1.5 games behind second-placed Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, the defeat in Philadelphia is a blow to the Blazers’ playoff quest. Chauncey Billups are now in 13th place in the West and are two losses back from a play-in tournament spot, per Oregon Live.
Embiid is a scoring machine
Sports Brief recently reported on Embiid becoming the fastest player in Sixers’ history to reach 10,000 career points. He eclipsed that mark in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 29 points in 39 minutes of action. Embiid accomplished that feat in 373 games, passing Philadelphia legend Iverson for the fewest games to reach that mark.