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The Philadelphia 76ers might look at November 7, 2022 the way the Philadelphia Phillies look at June 3, 2022. After a slow start, the Phils fired their manager Joe Girardi and fought their way to the playoffs. While the Sixers didn’t fire anyone, Monday’s win against the Phoenix Suns had the feeling of a turning point in Philadelphia’s young season. At least that’s what Joel Embiid thinks.
The shorthanded Sixers welcomed the West’s top-seeded Phoenix Suns to the City of Brotherly Love. And if you told most folks before the game that Tyrese Maxey would shoot 0-4 from three and 4-18 from the field, you’d be excused if you thought the Sixers were blown out.
Au contraire. Without Harden and Maxey having left his shooting hand at home, Joel Embiid and bench sharpshooter Georges Niang stepped in a big way.
And it was the latter’s 21 points on 7-10 shooting from three that earned the high praise of his teammate, James Harden. During Niang’s strong night, Harden tweeted some love to the former Iowa State Cyclone.
“YEEEEAAAAAH @GeorgesNiang20 !,” Harden tweeted.
Harden Watched Game from Home
Harden missed the Suns game recovering from a foot injury suffered last week against the Washington Wizards. But Harden wasn’t tweeting from the sideline for Philadelphia’s game. Rather, he was hundreds of miles away, at home in Houston.
According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harden headed for the Lone Star State to deal with a “family matter” and continue healing his foot. And according to Doc Rivers, Harden has strict orders for his time away from the team.
“He can’t come back and be 10 pounds heavier or whatever,” Rivers explained. “It’s hard not to be. I would be.”
Harden should return to Philadelphia in the next two or three days, according to Mizell. But he still faces a long way back from his foot injury, with a return likely several weeks away.
Fortunately, the Sixers’ other superstar stepped up against the Phoenix Suns after missing several games with the flu.
Joel Embiid Erupts Versus Suns
Finally! The game we’ve been waiting for from Joel Embiid. The big man recorded a 33-point, 10-rebound double double. Even better, he was a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. It was a performance that Sixers fans have been waiting for all season.
And yet, there’s reason to belive it can get even better.
For stretches of the game, Embiid looked winded and like a player whose lungs were “burning,” to use Doc Rivers’ turn of phrase. Even still, Embiid managed 37 minutes of action Monday, which is higher than his 34.4 minutes average this season.
In Harden’s absence, the playmaking responsibilities will likely be split between Maxey and Embiid. That’s no problem for Embiid, who shared his joy of filling the role for Philadelphia.
“I like playmaking from the middle of the flow, which I did draw a lot of attention,” Embiid said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I try to get guys open shots. I also like to call plays for my teammates. Tobias [Harris] had it going. So we just need to keep playing that way.”
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