Anyone who watched the clinic Joel Embiid held in Boston already knows the answer to this: who is the most clutch player in the NBA? The Philadelphia 76ers big man scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, all of them coming in the final six minutes.
Embiid hit back-to-back fadeaway jumpers to ensure the Sixers walked away with a 108-103 victory. He dominated the Celtics en route to 41 points (14-of-27) along with 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks. He was every bit “the closer” that he declared himself to be earlier this month. More importantly, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers actually ran the offense through Embiid with the game on the line.
“He was awesome,” Rivers said. “He took his shots. What we talk about with him every day, make or miss, just get your shot.”
According to NBA stats, Embiid is the most clutch scorer in the league by a wide margin. His 6.3 points per game in clutch situations leads LeBron James (4.8) and Kevin Durant (4.5). His fourth-quarter stat line versus Boston read: 17 points, four rebounds, one steal, two blocks. Embiid now has six games where he’s racked up 40 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, the most for a Sixers player not named Wilt Chamberlain. Incredible.
“These last 72 hours have been a dream come true,” rookie newcomer Myles Powell said, via The Associated Press. “I just watched Joel Embiid go out and get 40 and 10. For me, being a rookie in this league and being able to watch that, that’s something I’ll never, ever forget.”
three straight mid-range buckets with the game on the line for Joel Embiid.
coming into tonight: he led the NBA in Clutch Points Per Game (5.8), 1.3 more than second place.
that PPG # is now 6.4 after tonight
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Sixers Trio of Teammates Catch Fire
Embiid deservedly got the lion’s share of the headlines, but teammates Seth Curry and Tobias Harris were impressive in their own right. Curry scored 26 points (10-of-14) and Harris had 25 points (7-of-13) as they combined with Embiid to score 92 of the Sixers’ 108 total points. That number was the highest for any trio of teammates in an NBA game this season.
What an @nbagleague story Myles Powell is with the @sixers and @blue_coats. A dream realized.
“I couldn’t believe it.”
Must-watch stuff from @YDWILU:
Rivers was forced to play his starters for long stretches due to a COVID-19 outbreak, too. He rotated just four bench guys – Charles Bassey, Myles Powell, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Henry – and they saw only 47 combined minutes. Joe was the only player to score a point from that group and it marked the lowest point total off the bench for any NBA team since 2015. Joe had one point.
.@JoelEmbiid (41), @sdotcurry (26) and @tobias31 (25) each scored 25-plus points in the win tonight.
It’s the fifth time since the 00-01 season the @sixers have had three-or-more 25-point scorers in a game.
The team is 5-0 in those games.
h/t @EliasSports
Sixers Find ‘Great Mental Place’
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Sixers over the first 31 games. A rash of physical injuries, coupled with a COVID-19 outbreak and the ongoing Ben Simmons’ drama, has put their championship goals on hold. Hopefully, the tide is turning. Rivers noted a “calm” had swept over his under-manned team on Monday night and thought they were in a “great mental place.”
Doc Rivers on the undermanned @sixers‘ will to win tonight:
“I thought we had a calm tonight… I thought the guys were in a great mental place. They really wanted it. You could sense it.”
The win over the Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak and they’ll get two days off before hosting the Atlanta Hawks on December 23. From there, they head back out on the road for a three-game stretch: December 26, at Washington; December 28, at Toronto; December 30, at Brooklyn. The Sixers (16-15) currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Sixers’ Joel Embiid Leads LeBron James, Kevin Durant in Key Stat