Just a few nights after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers arrived at the Crypto.com Arena to take on the Los Angeles Clippers this time. Entering the contest, Joel Embiid and co. won 7 of their past 9 games and played some dominant basketball right from tip-off.
Advertisement
Thanks to the 7-point lead Doc Rivers’ boys grabbed in the first quarter, the Sixers entered halftime leading the Clippers 63-52.
While Tobias Harris had a good first-half outing with 14/3/3 and 5 steals, JoJo was the player who was absolutely unstoppable.
Also Read: ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy Showers Praise on Warriors’ 8x All-Star
Shaquille O’Neal weirdly guaranteed that Joel Embiid would finish with 50 points
The Cameroonian played 17:06 minutes in the first two periods and ended with 28 points on 10-15 shooting from the field.
On the Halftime Report in NBA on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal had some huge praises for the 7-footer. The former Lakers legend stated that Embiid would finish the night with a 50-point outing, and that didn’t happen, O’Neal would get “baby hairs”.
“If he don’t get 50, I’m getting baby hairs,” Shaq said.
Unfortunately, Embiid couldn’t reach the 50-point mark. Scoring 13 points in the final two quarters of the game, the 5-time All-Star finished with 41 points as he led Philly to a comfortable 120-110 victory.
Embiid helps the 76ers rise up the standings
Prior to the clash against Kawhi Leonard and co., the 76ers were placed 4th in the East. However, thanks to the Brooklyn Nets’ loss against the San Antonio Spurs, the Sixers have moved up to the 3rd position.
With an impressive 28-16 record, Philly has been performing pretty well this campaign. Yes, the likes of James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey among others have been in great form. However, a huge majority of the Pennsylvania-based franchise’s success needs to be credited to Joel.
The reigning scoring champ has been averaging a staggering 33.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Backed by his leadership, the Sixers are surely one of the powerhouses in the Eastern Conference.
