Embiid wears ‘24,’ scores 24 for Kobe in win
Wearing No. 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant, Joel Embiid scored 24 points in his first game in three weeks, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 115-104 win at home over Golden State on Tuesday night.
Embiid and the rest of the Sixers wore No. 24 and No. 8 Bryant jerseys in warmups in honor of the Los Angeles Lakers star, who was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash. Embiid was granted permission from Hall of Famer Bobby Jones to wear the retired No. 24 instead of his usual 21 for his first game since he tore a ligament in a finger in his left hand.
The Sixers went 6-3 without Embiid, the first Sixer to be voted to three straight All-Star Games since Allen Iverson.
The Sixers were the
Helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant and eight others did not have terrain warning system, latest team to honor Bryant in a pregame ceremony. Bryant led suburban Lower Merion High School to the Class AAAA state title at Hersheypark Arena in 1996, the school’s first since 1943. His framed No. 33 Aces jersey was displayed at midcourt and the Sixers held a 33-second moment of silence for Bryant and the other eight victims in Sunday’s crash.
The Sixers rang a bell nine times and shone nine lights on the court during the solemn remembrance. The Sixers skipped pregame introductions for both teams and instead played a video of Bryant’s last introduction in Philadelphia in a December 2015 game and images of him with Allen Iverson and
Julius Erving.
Hornets 97, Knicks 92: Terry Rozier scored 30 points and host Charlotte rallied from a 13-point deficit to snap a seasonhigh, eight-game losing streak.
Charlotte (16-31) trailed by 13 points three times in the second quarter before closing within 50-47 at halftime and taking the lead for good late in the third quarter against New York (13-35). The Hornets hadn’t won since Jan. 4 and their losing streak was the longest for the franchise since the 2014-15 season.
Pelicans 125, Cavaliers 111: Zion Williamson scored 14 points — all inside — in an uneventful NBA road debut and Jrue Holiday scored 26, leading New Orleans at Cleveland.
Playing in just his fourth game, Williamson added nine rebounds in 30 minutes, his most as a pro. Brandon Ingram scored 24 and Nicolo Melli made two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter to slow Cleveland’s comeback.
Collin Sexton scored 24, rookie Kevin Porter Jr. 21 and Larry Nance Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, Nance honored his former Lakers teammate by wearing No. 24 in the first half instead of his usual No. 22.
Raptors 130, Hawks 114: Kyle Lowry had 12 points and 11 assists while becoming Toronto’s career assist leader and the host Raptors recorded their season-best eighth consecutive win. Serge Ibaka had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Pascal Siakam added 24 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 as the Raptors won their 10th in a row over Atlanta.