76ers’ Embiid has coming out party
It was Joel Embiid Career Night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The 76ers center finished with career highs of 46 points, 7 assists and 7 blocks Wednesday night in a 115-109 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Embiid also had career bests in made field goals (14), made free throws (16), and free-throw attempts (19).
He added 15 rebounds to finish with his second consecutive double-double and his sixth of the season. Embiid tied his season low for turnovers with two; he averages 4.4 per game.
“I was just playing basketball basically,” Embiid said of being in a groove. “They just kept throwing the ball to me in the post. And I kept finding new ways to score the ball, and I went to the free-throw line. That’s where I was best at last year.”
The 7-foot-2, 282-pounder even had a big hand in Lakers reserve post player Julius Randle’s fouling out with 24.8 seconds left.
“And with me using different moves and attacking them, they didn’t really know what to do,” he said.
The Eurostep and Hakeem Olajuwon’s “Dream Shake” were two of the many moves he used to score against the Lakers.
In the process, he became the first player in NBA history with at least 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks and 7 assists in a game. He became the first 76er to score more than 40 since Allen Iverson had 45 on Nov. 27, 2006.
Thunder
Paul George couldn’t find a rhythm on offense his first few weeks with Oklahoma City. The fourtime All-Star struggled to fit in with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony after he was traded from the Indiana Pacers. He settled for jumpers too often, shot too quickly and didn’t get to the free-throw line as often as usual. As he adjusted, the Thunder started the season with a 4-7 record. Once George broke out, the Thunder turned their fortunes. George erupted for 42 points in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers Friday, then 37 in a victory against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday. The Thunder take a three-game win streak into Friday’s game with San Antonio.