Embiid's 30 lead the Sixers over Grizzlies
Joel Embiid had 30 points and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers pulled within a halfgame of seventh place in the Eastern Conference by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 116-96 on Saturday night.
Embiid was 9 of 13 from the floor, making both of his 3-point attempts. He checked out with seven minutes left in the third quarter and coach Nick Nurse saw no reason for him to return as Philadelphia maintained a comfortable lead in the second half en route to its fourth consecutive win.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 24 points, while GG Jackson finished with 17. Jordan Goodwin added 15 for Memphis, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. NUGGETS 142, HAWKS 110 » Jamal Murray returned to host Denver's lineup after missing seven games with a strained right knee and scored 16 points over 21 minutes in a clobbering of Atlanta. Nikola Jokic recorded his 25th triple-double of the season for the Nuggets even as he took the fourth quarter off and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a season-high 24 points, propelling the Nuggets
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid drives to the basket in Saturday's win.
(54-24) into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference, a halfgame ahead of the idle Minnesota Timberwolves, who visit Denver on Wednesday night.
Jokic had 19 points, 14 boards and 11 assists.
Clint Capela led the Hawks with 19 points. NETS 113, PISTONS 103 » Cam Thomas scored 32 points and host Brooklyn rallied with a big fourth quarter for a victory over Detroit.
Dennis Schroder added 24 points and Noah Clowney had 17 off the bench for the Nets, who won their second straight game. Mikal Bridges chipped in with 13 and Jalen Wilson finished with 10.
The Pistons dropped to 13-65 with their fourth straight loss. Chimezie Metu led Detroit with 20 points.