3 observations after Embiid posts 30 in 23 minutes, Sixers cruise to victory

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3 observations after Embiid posts 30 in 23 minutes, Sixers cruise to victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joel Embiid dominated Saturday night and the Sixers easily handled business in Memphis, cruising to a fourth win in a row.

The Sixers picked up a 116-96 victory over the Grizzlies and Embiid notched 30 points on 9-for-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. He reached the 12,000-point mark for his career.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.

The Sixers were still down Tobias Harris (left knee contusion), De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress), Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and Mo Bamba (illness).

The 27-51 Grizzlies were without a slew of core players, including Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.

The Sixers improved to 43-35 and remained eighth in the Eastern Conference behind the 43-34 Heat and 44-34 Pacers. Those teams will face each other Sunday night and the Sixers will play their final road game of the regular season against the Spurs.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ blowout win against the Grizzlies:

A highlight-packed Embiid half 

On Thursday night in Miami, the Sixers’ starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Oubre, Nicolas Batum and Embiid sprinted to a 17-2 lead.

On Saturday in Memphis, they built a 12-2 advantage. Though the same game-opening play call resulted in a missed Maxey three-pointer this time, the Sixers had early success working around Embiid in the middle of the floor. He nailed his first two jumpers. Lowry and Oubre both scored layups in transition.

Embiid’s long layoff was still evident in his third game back from a left lateral meniscus injury. He made a patient, smart pass fake and spotted Lowry open in the corner, but Embiid then threw the ball at the veteran guard’s feet. His first stint also included a missed layup through traffic and an offensive foul in the post against 24-year-old Grizzlies big man Trey Jemison.

Embiid committed eight turnovers Saturday. Health permitting, his rhythm and instincts should be a bit sharper by the playoffs.

Already, he’s shown many of the tools that had him on track for a third…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-embiid-posts-30-024216186.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-04-07 02:42:16

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