Ailing Embiid erupts for 50
PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid is suffering from Bell’s palsy and played Game 3 with a bulky knee brace to sturdy the 7-footer after dealing with injuries all season.
The lingering effects of the time off from his most recent knee surgery s ucked him into a depression -- and that was before Embiid was hit with a form of facial paralysis. Embiid pushed aside the pain -- mental and physical -- and embraced the pressure after he vowed the 76ers were “going to win this series” against the New York Knicks.
Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-saving third quarter on Thursday night to lead the Philadelphia
76ers to a 125-114 win in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
After getting punished in New York, the Sixers pushed back.
“They want to bring the physicality,” Embiid said. “We can be physical, too.”
Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2. They at least have a shot now -- the Knicks lead the series 2-1 and Game 4 is Sunday in Philly.
Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.
Embiid, who scored a franchise-best 70 points against San Antonio in January, became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points on fewer than 20 shots in a playoff game.
Last season’s NBA MVP, Embiid finally turned the crowd -- which had a distinct New York flavour in South Philly --- into one rocking for the home team. The AllStar centre played more like a sharpshooting guard in the third, when he saved the season.
The Sixers pecked away at a three-point halftime deficit when Embiid got hot. He hit one 3 and then two more --- the last two with assists from Tyrese Maxey -- that gave the Sixers an 82-72 lead. His fourth 3 pushed the lead to 98-85.
Maxey added two 3s in the quarter and the 76ers went a whopping 9 of 12 from beyond the arc for 43 points. Embiid mostly kept his cool and was in the mix on both ends of the court all game. Embiid had 17 points, three fouls and in a first half where they again weren’t good enough to look like a team that could beat the Knicks.
TAMPA, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart and Steven Lorentz also scored for the Panthers, who will seek a sweep Saturday night in Tampa.
Tkachuk had a first-period goal and added an empty-netter with 32 seconds left.
“We’re playing some good hockey right now, and we’re happy with where we’re at right now in the series,” Tkachuk said. “The fourth (win) is the hardest, everyone says that, so we have to come out absolutely ready to go on Saturday.”
Steven Stamkos, Tyler Motte and Nicholas Paul scored for Tampa Bay, with Paul cutting it to 4-3 with 5:10 left. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.
“It’s tough when you get in situations like this what you’re going to say right at this moment (to the team),” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But the talk is you want the believers to show up to the rink tomorrow. And if you’re not going to believe, then you don’t have to come. Well see how many guys show up tomorrow.”
Montour gave Florida a 3-2 lead on a blue-line shot with 3:30 left in the second, with Lorentz making it a two-goal game from the slot at 9:41 of the third.
After withstanding several minutes of sustained pressure at the defensive end, Florida tied it at 2 on Reinhart’s goal at 9:58 of the second.
Stamkos scored 44 seconds into the second before Motte put Tampa Bay up 2-1 just 2:12 later. The 34-year-old Stamkos is the ninth player 34 or older to score in each of his team’s first three playoff games, and the first since San Jose’s Patrick Marleau in 2014.
“I thought we played probably the best 10 minutes of the series right there,” Stamkos said of the first half of the second. “We were controlling the play. Then, it’s just little mistakes that are made are costing us.”
Stamkos also had six hits and made a nifty block on Vladimir Tarasenko’s empty-net try.
Thirty-two seconds after the Panthers killed off Tampa Bay’s second power play, Tkachuk opened the scoring midway through the first.
Tkachuk became the 12th U.S.born player to have 20 postseason goals in 50 or games or fewer. The list also includes his father, Keith Tkachuk.
Tampa Bay appeared to tie it with 18 seconds left in the first, but Anthony Cirelli’s goal on the Lightning’s third power play was disallowed following a video review found the play was offside.
The Lightning, with the NHL’s top regular-season power play, went 0 for 4. Florida did not have a power play.
I thought the big story will be penalty killing,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s just such a dominant, highly skilled, power play.”