The Philadelphia 76ers, with a 5-game win streak, entered tonight’s clash against the Boston Celtics with some incredible form. With Joel Embiid having recorded 26+ points in each of the games this calendar year, Doc Rivers’ boys had a legit shot at upsetting the top-seeded Massachusetts-based franchise.
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As expected, the battle of the Eastern Conference powerhouses was as action-packed as one could imagine. With 6 players of the Celtics recording double-digit points, Jayson Tatum and co. managed to grab an extremely close 110-107 victory.
The All-Star duo of Jaylen Brown and Tatum recorded 44 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists. However, despite suffering the loss, JoJo was the star of the night.
Also Read: NBA World Reacts to Joel Embiid’s Full Court Shot Against Jayson Tatum Led Celtics
Joel Embiid sinks incredible 65-foot heave; gets ruled late
Having played 39:49 minutes of the bout, the Cameroonian stuffed the stat sheet – 41 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, while shooting 57.1% from the field and 94.4% from the charity stripe.
Throughout the contest, the 7-footer had some incredible plays, both offensively & defensively. However, the best play of the night occurred just a few milliseconds after the contest concluded.
With 5.9 seconds remaining on the clock, the game tied at 107 apiece, the Celtics drew up the perfect play that ended with Tatum hitting a three-pointer. With 1.3 seconds left, Embiid somehow knocked down the shot that he tossed up from 65 feet away.
Unfortunately, the big man was a few milliseconds late in doing so.
Here, have a look at the full sequence.
The ending to Celtics-Sixers was WILD 🤯
Jayson Tatum clutch 3. Joel Embiid 3/4 court heave after the buzzer.
Celtics won 110-107.
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📲 https://t.co/Z2EoXj3dbV pic.twitter.com/SDSFXyx4xL— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2023
Seeming disappointed, Joel spoke about the play during the postgame interview:
“I wish I would’ve shot it sooner. But as I turned, I saw Derrick White there. So, I couldn’t really get it off. So, I had to kind of go back to my right side to get it off. Unfortunately, the story of my life.”
“I wish I would’ve shot it sooner… Unfortunately, the story of my life.”
Joel Embiid on his 65-foot shot being latepic.twitter.com/aBWfXx0hCm
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 26, 2023
Truly, you got to feel sympathetic towards Joel.
JoJo’s stats from the 2022-2023 season
The Sixers are one of the best teams in this campaign. Sitting #3 in the East, the Pennsylvania-based organisation has a 39-20 record.
Of course, the likes of James Harden, Tobias Harris, and others have been playing incredibly. However, a majority of Philly’s success needs to be credited to the 6-time All-Star.
Having played 47 out of the 59 games this year, the reigning scoring champ has been averaging a sensational 33.1 points, 104 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
Highest PPG on 60+ TS% by a center in the past 50 years:
33.1 – Joel Embiid (This Season)
30.6 – Joel Embiid (2022)
29.3 – Shaquille O’Neal (1994)
28.5 – Joel Embiid (2021)Already one of the greatest scoring big men of all-time pic.twitter.com/5KUvUovOGU
— Ball Muse (@BallMuse23) February 23, 2023
Also Read: Jayson Tatum On Sixers’ Potential Full Court Game-Winner