The Philadelphia 76ers are 38-19 and in third place in the Eastern Conference ahead of the stretch run. They have established themselves as a clear title contender thanks to the play of Joel Embiid and James Harden.
After Embiid scored 32 points for Team LeBron in the All-Star game on Sunday night in Utah, the big fella was once again asked about his plans for the FIBA World Cup. He has citizenship for both France and the United States, which means he could play for either nation.
“I’m focused on the season,” Embiid told reporters. “We have a long season ahead, second half of the season. Once I get there, the main goal is to win. That’s where my focus is. Go out and do whatever it takes to try to accomplish that goal to win a championship. So, like I said, that’s where I’m focused.”
In order to win it as Embiid stated, the Sixers will need him and Harden to continue hitting the right notes. The duo has an offensive rating of 121.93 per PBP Stats. They have been dominant on offense; opponents haven’t been able to slow them.
“It’s been great,” Embiid added. “Since last year, we’ve been growing every single day. Obviously, it’s been, what, about a year since we’ve been playing together. It takes a lot of time to have a connection with somebody, but I feel like from the beginning we already had that connection. The way we play off of each other, I think obviously, you can always get better, but I think we’re on the right path.”
Embiid, Harden and the Sixers will get back to work on Thursday when they play host to the Memphis Grizzlies.
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