Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the most feared players in the league. He is a guy who can go off for a big game at any moment and he is one of the best players in the NBA regardless of position.
In Monday’s home win over the Orlando Magic, though not an inspiring performance by Embiid nor the Sixers, the big fella struggled a bit. Embiid finished with 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting with 13 rebounds and five assists in the win. He also shot 7-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Despite not shooting the ball well, he was still a factor in the win. Young Magic big man, Mo Bamba had himself an impressive game with six blocks and he was solid against Embiid despite what the superstar brings to the table. Bamba’s efforts helped the Magic keep things close.
“It’s important, but moral victories don’t show up in the win column,” said Bamba. “We knew that Philly was gonna be a tough team. Playing one of the best players in the world in Joel Embiid. We knew it was gonna be tough.”
With the game on the line when Orlando kept things close, Embiid came up big by heading to the free-throw line six times, knocking down four, to help the Sixers come away with a win. The young Magic big men, Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr., had a tough time defending him with the game on the line.
At the end of the day, the Magic are hoping their defensive efforts against Embiid can pay off for them in the future.
“We’re just showing that we’re capable of just going out there and being great defenders,” Bamba added. “He (Carter Jr.) did a great job tonight defending Jo. The stats speak for itself. He shot 4-for-16 and we’re just looking to build off of this.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=55408]
[lawrence-related id=55392,55389,55369]