The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Embiid back from injury, 76ers defeat Heat in Game 3
Joel Embiid spent the week groggy from a concussion. His busted thumb needs surgery.
MVP form? Not yet. But Embiid injected the 76ers with revitalized championship aspirations. Embiid inspired the 76ers with his return from a facial injury, Danny Green and Tyrese Maxey each scored 21 points and Philadelphia beat the Miami Heat 99-79 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Friday night.
“We have a good chance to win it all,” Embiid said. “We’ve got to stay healthy.”
The Heat lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is today in Philadelphia.
Wearing a hammer-tested mask, Embiid had 18 points and 11 rebounds after missing the first two games of the series with a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion suffered in the last round. Embiid wasn’t the dominant force he was throughout the season, but with Green, Maxey and James Harden all crushing Heat rallies with big buckets, Embiid didn’t have to carry the Sixers. They sure were glad he was back, though.
“Any plan where you can have Joel as part of the plan is a much better plan,” coach Doc Rivers said. Even Rivers couldn’t draw up a plan that included the play that helped put away the game: Maxey made a full-court sprint to save a basketball with an over-theshoulder toss. The 76ers kept the ball and Embiid buried a fallaway bucket and sank the free throw for an 86-74 lead.
Embiid was good. Green was better. He buried 6 of 7 3-pointers through three quarters, highlighted by ones that snuffed Miami runs and stretched the Sixers’ lead to 54-50 and 57-51. Green missed 9 of 10 3s in Game 2.
Tyler Herro, though, had two critical 3s of his own in the final minute and pulled the Heat to 68-65 to close the third. He had 14 points and joined Jimmy Butler (33 points) as the only Heat player in double-digit scoring.
Suddenly, the Sixers have new life in the series. They have never won a playoff series in 19 tries after losing the first two games. The NBA scoring champ’s return kind of helps those odds.
“Even when he’s not his normal self, he helps us a ton,” Green said.
(At) Mavericks 103, Suns 94: Luka Doncic had 26 points and 13 rebounds as Dallas turned up the defensive pressure to cut Phoenix’s series lead to 2-1. The Mavs spoiled Chris Paul’s 37th birthday, forcing the 17-year pro into his most turnovers in any half of a playoff game with seven before the break.
Jalen Brunson led Dallas with 28 points. Doncic just missed a triple-double with nine assists. Jae Crowder had 19 for Phoenix.
The Mavericks limited the impact of Devin Booker in much the same way they did Paul. Booker scored 18 but was just 2-of-7 inside the 3-point line, and Paul had 12 on just nine shots (five made) in the Suns’ lowest-scoring game of the season.
Dallas ended an 11-game losing streak vs. Phoenix, which shot 45%, ending a run of at least 50% shooting in the playoffs at eight games.
Game 4 is today in Dallas.