Embiid has a Wilt night in triple-double to beat Cavs
PHILADELPHIA » Chants of “MVP” rocked the Wells Fargo Center throughout the fourth quarter Saturday while Joel Embiid put the finishing touches on the franchise’s first 40-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple double since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.
First when Embiid pulled the ball back on a dribble, got airborne and dropped in a backbreaking layup on the way to a three-point play to basically finish off the Cavaliers, 103-93.
Again with 2:54 left when Embiid was replaced by Paul Reed. The Sixers’ superstar acknowledged the MVP crescendo on his way to the bench.
“Joel was phenomenal, and we needed every point,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Just so dominant. And I thought he was great on the defensive end, too. I know he had more than zero blocks.”
The Sixers have their fingers crossed that Embiid will continue to do his thing without interruption while working newly acquired guard James Harden into the offense. Harden stopped by the Center Saturday but didn’t publicly show his face. He wasn’t needed.
Embiid and the Sixers left themselves room to improve with their mastery of the Cavaliers, who entered as the East’s second seed. The Sixers (34-22) are just ½ game behind the Cavs (35-22).
Embiid is the first Sixer since Chamberlain to get at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. Wilt did it three times in his career.
It was Embiid’s 23rd game of the season with 25 or more points and his
eighth game of 40 or more points in this, his sixth full season in the NBA.
• • • Before the game, Rivers spoke about meeting Saturday with Harden and Paul Millsap, acquired in Thursday’s trade.
He had some curt words for Harden, a former league MVP.
“We want him to be James Harden,” Rivers said.
As soon as the tightness in Harden’s hamstring eases, he’ll play.
“The practice part probably won’t matter as much as the health,” Rivers said. “When you do trades at this time of the year there’s many times you put a guy on the floor with zero practice time. The moment he’s cleared to play, whether we have practice in front of that or not we’re just going to have to throw you out there.”
The Sixers’ next game is Tuesday against the Boston Celtics. A road date with the
Milwaukee Bucks Thursday is the last test for the Sixers before the All-Star Game.
While the Sixers are looking at a difficult stretch, avid golfer Rivers would rather lay up now than shoot for the hole.
“It is what it is,” Rivers said. “It will all wash out at the end of the day. We can’t pick and choose health. We can’t pick and choose trades and the timing of that. So really the key for us is to be ready when we need to be ready.”
The Sixers are right there in the standings with the Bucks and ahead of the Celtics, the seventh seed in the East. The Sixers have 18 more games against winning teams and 21 against Eastern teams before the playoffs start April 18.
• • • Cavaliers TV analyst Austin Carr got a shoutout in the middle of Rivers’ pregame presser, the Sixers boss interrupting himself to say, “Is that who I think
it is, the great Austin Carr?”
“My idol, by the way,” Rivers said. “I named my son after that man. I attended a basketball camp of his when I was in third or fourth grade.”
Carr turns 74 in March, yet doesn’t look nearly his age. The scoring machine out of Notre Dame was the first pick in the 1971 draft for the Cavaliers.
• • • Call-up Reed converted a reverse dunk after bungling one the previous night. He also did a stellar all-around job contributing six points, seven rebounds and three steals in 16 minutes. In the fourth quarter Reed got to several loose balls … The Sixers started Danny Green (six points) instead of Furkan Korkmaz, who had nine points and two boards … Embiid’s streak of 23 straight games with 25 or more points trails only Allen Iverson, who did it in 27 consecutive games, in franchise history.