Embiid helps 76ers roll past the Hawks
Joel Embiid scored 27 points and the 76ers rode a dominant third quarter to a 127-111 victory over the Hawks on Friday night in Atlanta to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Embiid, playing with a cartilage tear in his right knee, added nine rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots.
Tobias Harris had 22 points and Ben Simmons added 18 to help the 76ers end Atlanta’s streak of 13 home wins. The 76ers have taken the series lead with back-to-back wins.
The 76ers played up to their No. 1 seed, taking a lead of 22 points and keeping the advantage in double figures most of the second half. The Hawks played from behind after their last lead at 11-10.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 28 points. John Collins had 23 and Bogdan Bogdanovic 19.
Game 4 will be Monday in Atlanta. After leading 65-60 early in the third period, Philadelphia took command with an 11-0 run. The 76ers outscored the Hawks 34-19 in the third period.
Simmons had two baskets during the run, including a jam for a 76-60 lead.
Atlanta couldn’t regain the momentum as the 76ers stretched the lead to 20 points, 93-73, late in the period.
Embiid, who faced constant doubleteams from Atlanta’s defense, made 12 of 16 free throws.
Embiid had a scare in the third quarter when he limped and appeared to be in pain after grabbing a rebound. Embiid appeared to step awkwardly on Clint Capela’s foot and he remained in the game.
Hawks coach Nate McMillan asked for a strong start that eluded his team in its Game 2 loss. Instead, Philadelphia relied on an unlikely scoring source to grab the early lead.
Furkan Korkmaz, who scored a combined seven points in the first two games of the series, scored 11 points in the opening period while making two 3s. He added another 3 in the fourth for 14 points.
Suns 116, Nuggets 102
Devin Booker and the visiting Suns spoiled Nikola Jokic’s MVP celebration with a victory over Denver in Game 3 that put “The Joker” and the rest of the reeling Nuggets on the brink of a quick second-round exit.
Booker scored 28 points and teamed with Chris Paul to lead a steady offensive onslaught that countered Jokic’s triple-double of 32 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists.
With their sixth straight victory, the second-seeded Suns took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday night at Ball Arena.
Paul had 27 points, eight assists and three steals for the Suns, who pulled away after halftime for the third straight time.