The Philadelphia 76ers once again needed Joel Embiid to step up to come away with a win. After a very slow first half on Saturday, Embiid scored 25 points after halftime to lead the Sixers to a 109-98 win over the host Miami Heat.
Embiid was fully neutralized in the first half. He scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. The Heat did a great job forcing him into tough shots. It was a different story in the second half. Embiid shot 9-for-11 as the Sixers rallied.
“Score, rebound, force guys to help,” said Heat star Jimmy Butler. “Be the dominant player that he has been for a very long time. He did that.”
While young Miami big man Omer Yurtseven played a very good game against Embiid, the Sixers were able to get the big fella in spots where he could have a big impact.
“That’s a lot of it,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Great players do great things, and he certainly did that tonight. We had a lot of different coverages, different guys covering him. He showed pretty much his full skill set tonight. His ability to face up, which made it a little bit tougher sometimes to get to him, but he has that shooting ability and that touch where he can do that.”
Yurtseven held his own for Miami. He produced 22 points and 11 rebounds, but, once Embiid decided to take over, there was not much the rookie big man could do.
“I think the biggest thing was just getting in front of him and not letting him catch the ball,” Yurtseven said. “We should have just gotten more stops, but it’s just a learning curve. His physicality and how strong he is, is definitely a factor.”
The Heat are always a tough team for Embiid due to the zone defense Spoelstra deploys. There is also the play of Butler, who will not back down from anybody. But Embiid has been on a tear recently, and there is not a lot the opposition can do at this point.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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