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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers made a point to tell everyone early in the season that the cavalry wasn’t coming. They were going to have to fight through injuries and Ben Simmons’ trade rumors all year. Guess what? They have.
Following a 117-107 win over New Orleans – in another game where Joel Embiid stated his case for MVP – the Sixers didn’t sugarcoat it. They played bad in the first half against a group of Pelicans backups who took a 58-50 lead into the halftime locker room. That’s when Embiid put on the Superman cape. Again.
His final stat line on Tuesday: 42 points in 33 minutes, 12-of-24 from the field, 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks. It marked his 19th straight game, a telling footnote for a player and organization known to use “load management” to their advantage in previous years. Not anymore. He’s committed to pacing himself.
“I was really bad [in the first half],” Embiid told reporters. “I was doing it [pacing] at an extreme level, obviously, and then in the third quarter I really had enough at halftime. It’s hard to play with that energy all game long so sometimes you need to kind of pace yourself and as the game went along, I started feeling much better.”
Embiid spent the offseason working on his conditioning, including a better diet and nutrition. He has played in 35 out of 47 possible games and missed nine of them while sitting out due to COVID-19. The big man who can be Shaquille O’Neal or Michael Jordan “whenever I want” has scored at least 31 points in 14 of his last 15 contests.
“It’s taken me awhile to get into games and stuff. I’m starting to feel tired, but I just got to keep pushing,” Embiid said. “That’s one of my goals, that was one of my goals coming into the season. Just being available and that’s what I’ve been doing … but, yeah, this has probably been the most games that I’ve played in a row. Don’t plan on stopping and we got to keep on going.”
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Don’t Forget About Tobias Harris
Embiid has been historically dominant since Christmas. The Sixers would not be in the position they are without his brilliance. However, it might be time to apologize to Tobias Harris for that icy reception from Sixers fans back in early January. Embiid knows they are going to need everybody’s best effort down the stretch.
“For us to be able to win we are going to need perfection from everybody,” Embiid said. “You know, just playing together, moving the ball and then obviously on the defensive end, just staying connected and having each other’s backs.”
The 6-foot-8 forward scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against New Orleans. Harris is averaging at least 20 points while shooting 55-percent-or-better from both the field and three-point range since January 19. Overall, he has been more efficient and quicker in his decision making.
“Just quicker, quicker stuff, quicker decisions,” Rivers said of Harris. “He is doing it more, he’s been doing it a lot the last four, five games you can feel him getting back to the pace of last year, which is important for us.”
Sixers’ Updated Injury Report
Philadelphia sat three players versus the Pelicans: Danny Green (hip), Shake Milton (back), Seth Curry (ankle). That marked two straight absences for Curry. Meanwhile, Green has missed six games in a row and Milton has been out for the last 10 contests.
On the flip side, Matisse Thybulle (shoulder) returned to the starting five and looked sharp. He finished with three points while flashing his trademark defensive swagger: one block, two steals, four rebounds.
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