Embiid's late shot lifts Sixers over Blazers
Joel Embiid made a fadeaway jumper from the foul line with 1.1 seconds left to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 120-119 comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Embiid scored 39 points, shaking off a double-team from Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard on the winner. The basket gave host Philadelphia its first lead of the game they trailed by 21 points late in the first half.
Portland's last-second after a timeout was tipped away on the inbound play, with Lillard's shot coming after the horn.
“To be able to come back in a game like that, when you are down one, you have to make those plays,” Embiid said.
James Harden added 19 points for Philadelphia despite struggling from the floor. Tyrese Maxey and DeAnthony Melton each had 13 to help the 76ers win their fourth straight game.
Anfernee Simons led Portland with 34 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Jeremi Grant had 24 points and Lillard 22.
Simons was a game-time decision coming into the night after missing seven of Portland's last eight games because of sprained right ankle sprain. He was 5 of 6 on 3s in the first half as Portland hit 26 of its first 38 shots from the floor to build a 21-point lead. SPURS 128, NUGGETS 120 » Keldon Johnson scored 23 points and San Antonio overcame 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists by Nikola Jokic to stun visiting Denver.
Doug McDermott added 20 points and Jeremy Sochan had 19 points for San Antonio, which shot 54% in a balanced effort with their entire roster available for one of only a few times in an injury-riddled season.
It was Jokic's 26th tripledouble in what could be his third straight MVP season.
NETS 124, TIMBERWOLVES 123 » Mikal Bridges scored 34 points, Spencer Dinwiddie came up with a final stop and Brooklyn outlasted host Minnesota in overtime.
Dinwiddie blocked Mike Conley's 3-point attempt as time expired to give the Nets their fourth victory in five outings.
Bridges frequently quieted a raucous Target Center crowd, making 4 of 8 3-pointers and 13 of 24 overall shots. Acquired from Phoenix last mont in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns, Bridges has scored 30 or more points in four of his past five games.
HEAT 119, CAVS 115 » Jimmy Butler scored 33 points, Tyler Herro added 25 and Miami rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit at home to beat Cleveland.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 points and Max Strus had 14 for the Heat, who split a two-game home set with the Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 42 points for Cleveland, which got 16 apiece from Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert. Evan Mobley added 12 for the Cavaliers.
HAWKS 114, WIZARDS 107 » Trae Young scored 28 points, including a key 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining that helped visiting Atlanta hold off Washington.
The Hawks won in Washington for the second time in three days in what could be a preview of a play-in round matchup in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is in eighth place, and the Wizards are a half-game up on Chicago for 10th.