Many are used to the Philadelphia 76ers blowing huge leads late. On far fewer occasions have the Sixers managed to do the opposite: pull themselves back into a potential blowout with time expiring.
But on Thursday night, the Sixers did just that in a thrilling 110-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Things looked incredibly bleak in the first quarter, with Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane nearly outscoring Philadephia alone.
The Sixers looked completely hapless. That’s doubly true for Joel Embiid, who entered the game dealing with an illness. With his shot not falling as he’s used to, Embiid admitted to focusing with greater intensity on defense.
After the game, he went so far as to explain he was channeling his inner Bill Russell.
“Defensively, I thought I had to be Bill Russell tonight to be able to kind of balance it out,” Embiid said, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.
Embiid certainly looked the part of a multi-time All-Defensive player on Thursday. He recorded six blocks and 19 rebounds. The most emphatic of those blocks came late against Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who went soaring in for a surefire dunk that Embiid denied at the cup.
Unbelievable block by Embiid on Morant.
Embiid Provides Health Update Following Win
After the win, Embiid also provided reporters with a crucial injury update.
“I feel pretty good,” Embiid told reporters, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “Like I said before the break, whatever it is, it’s all about rest, and there’s a reason why I wasn’t part of Saturday (All-Star practice) because I wanted to make sure that I could get more rest and with this, it’s all about trying to get as much rest as possible.”
Embiid nearly missed All-Star Weekend completely in order to rehabilitate a foot injury that’s bothered him much of the year.
“I’m not healthy,” Embiid said a week ago. “I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks, or month. I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff. But I feel like I’ve reached the point where I need to follow the doctor’s advice. … Back then he said I should have been sitting for two weeks, so we’ll see how the next few days go, and go from there.”
But after being selected first overall by Team LeBron, there’s little doubt that participating in the contest was worthwhile. If anything, it should have helped shift the perception that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is far and away the league’s best player, at least in the eyes of the players themselves.
Although, in fairness, LeBron James has a sketchy history constructing teams, with notable miss Russell Westbrook as a recent example. And Team LeBron fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team at the All-Star Game.
Embiid Working on Managing Health
The Sixers now enter a crucial stretch of the season following the All-Star Game. According to Tankathon, the Sixers have the toughest schedule for the rest of the way. Fortunately, Philadelphia should be favored in many of the matchups, but the Grizzlies game Thursday is a perfect example of the playoff-level atmosphere Philly can expect on a nightly basis.
Embiid, for his part, knows that and is working to manage whatever foot pain he’s dealing with in order to be right for the postseason.
“It would have been nice to have actually two weeks off, but it’s the season,” Embiid said. “You can’t have that, so you got to come back and keep going. So now it’s all about managing it, and next time it comes along, take some time off and keep doing the same thing.”
The Sixers face the East’s top-seed Boston Celtics Saturday night in Philadelphia.
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Joel Embiid Admits to Channeling Celtics Legend in Thrilling Win over Grizzlies