With Embiid back after difficult time away, Sixers have most promising night in months

With Embiid back after difficult time away, Sixers have most promising night in months originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

As usual, Joel Embiid’s self-assessment Tuesday wasn’t the kindest.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had a much higher opinion of the superstar center’s return from a left lateral meniscus injury.

“It’s everything,” Oubre said after the Sixers’ 109-105 victory vs. the Thunder. “The hype is real. He’s one of the most dominant players in the NBA and that we’ve ever seen.

“He was a little rusty tonight, obviously getting his conditioning and his footing back. But at the end of the day, he was still able to be effective in the game and allow us to get that win.”

Embiid’s impact was typically multi-faceted in a 24-point, seven-assist, six-rebound night.

And beyond the win and his performance, he was glad just to be playing basketball again following a little over two months on the sidelines.

“For some reason, this one was disappointing, it was depressing,” he said. “It took me a while to get over it and I still haven’t gotten over it. Just got to take it day by day, look at the positive. I’m back, so hopefully things will get better and I’ll get back to myself.”

Embiid said his family’s helped him through this difficult period personally.

“Just looking at their faces, my wife and young (son) Arthur,” he said. “Waking up every single day, taking him to school, picking him up, playing with him all day. That kind of takes your mind away from everything that’s going on. And then obviously, watching the games at night, you get pissed off because you feel like you could help and you could do something.

“But it’s all about family. Basketball obviously means a lot, and I love it and I love to play. It’s the best thing for me. But family also comes first, and that’s the thing that got me through it.”

On the court, Embiid’s focus was on trying to “make everybody’s job easier, try to provide space.”

That doesn’t mean everything was suddenly fluid and effortless. Embiid’s stints were far briefer than his norm and he went 29 minutes total. The reigning…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/embiid-back-difficult-time-away-132151672.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-04-03 13:21:51

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