Embiid, garland catch fire

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Joel Embiid scored 59 points to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-98 victory over Utah, just one of two 50-point performances that lit up the National Basketball Association night.

Cleveland guard Darius Garland scored 27 of his 51 points in the fourth quarter, but his heroics weren’t enough to prevent the Cavaliers from surrendering their first defeat on their home floor, 129-124 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Embiid’s epic performance, which improved on his prior career best of 50 points, proved to be all the 76ers needed to hold off the tenacious Jazz.

The Cameroonian big man added 11 rebounds and eight assists along with seven blocked shots, all just a day after he scored 42 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“I’ve never seen a more dominating performance, when you combine defense and offense,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after Embiid became the first player in league history with 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game since blocks became an official statistic in the 1973-74 season.

With the Jazz pressing late, Embiid scored 26 of Philadelphia’s 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Chants of “M-v-P” were raining down at the Sixers’ Wells Fargo Center as Embiid poured it on.

The teams were tied heading into the final period, and Embiid’s turnaround jump shot with less than six minutes remaining knotted the score at 94-94.

He hit two free throws on Philadelphia’s next possession for a 98-96 Sixers lead. His fadeaway jump shot with a minute remaining put Philadelphia up 103-98 and he closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws.

In Cleveland, Garland barely beat Embiid to the first 50-point performance of the season as he became the fourth Cavaliers player to hit the half-century mark along with LeBron James, kyrie Irving and Walt Wesley.

Garland’s 10 three-pointers -- six in the fourth quarter -- were just the start as Garland dazzled with an array of agile jump shots and bullish drives to the basket.

“Special,” Cavs veteran kevin Love said of Garland’s performance.

“A masterclass by Darius that was just beautiful.”

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell was cheering from the bench as he sat out with a sore ankle, but Garland’s career night wasn’t quite enough.