PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers needed a win on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics. They had lost the first three games against the Celtics and needed to avoid the season sweep.
While Sixers as a team struggled, Joel Embiid came to the rescue. The big fella dropped 52 points on 20-for-25 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and six assists in a 103-101 win over the visiting Celtics. It wasn’t the prettiest win for the Sixers, who had a tough time closing it out, but it was a win and it gives them confidence they can beat this team.
The big reason for that is Embiid. The MVP candidate produced an amazing performance that will not be forgotten. The big fella was on another level. The efficiency was remarkable, and it’s getting tough to really find the right adjectives to describe what he’s doing on the floor.
“I don’t remember him missing a shot,” said James Harden who knows a thing or two about amazing performances. “That’s an efficient 50 – one of the most efficient 50s I’ve seen. From being at the elbow, sweet spot, he made the right decision a majority of the time. His shot was falling. He made some really good passes, like I said, so we’re gonna need that consistently from him.”
Harden had a nice night, too. He had 20 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, but the night belongs to Embiid as he continues to build his MVP resume.
“From the beginning, I just wanted to be aggressive,” said Embiid. “The last few games, I’ve kinda taken a step back and getting everybody involved so from the beginning, I told myself to be more aggressive than I have been the last few games, and obviously, my teammates kept feeding me the ball, and I just kept getting lucky and making shots.”
As mentioned, Embiid is having one helluva season. This is the third time he has scored 50 points in a game in the 2022-23 season. It’s unheard of for a guy his size to do what he’s been doing all season.
With three games left, he and the Sixers look to build momentum before the playoffs begin on April 15.
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