Sixers crowd chants ‘MVP, MVP’
Los Angeles – Joel Embiid became the first Philadelphia player since 2006 to score 35-plus points in three straight games as the NBA Eastern Conference leading 76ers held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 on Friday.
Embiid finished with 36 points and 14 rebounds, the Cameroonian center continuing to carrying the offensive load for the Sixers as he has since returning to the starting lineup two weeks ago.
Over the past half dozen games Embiid is averaging over 30 points and nine-plus rebounds per game with his best performance coming Wednesday when he ran roughshod over the Brooklyn Nets for 39 points and 13 boards.
But it is in the last three that Embiid has really shined. The last Sixer to score more than 35 points in three straight contests was Allen Iverson in 2006.
Embiid heard muted chants of “MVP, MVP” on Friday from the crowd of 4,100 at the Wells Fargo Center, the number of spectators limited due to Covid-19 health restrictions in Philadelphia.
Furkan Korkmaz finished with 18 points on five-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc as Philadelphia snapped Los Angeles’ seven-game win streak.
Ben Simmons added 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Danny Green had 11 points and seven assists in the win.
Paul George paced the Clippers with 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists, his fifth consecutive game with 30-plus points.
Patrick Patterson contributed 18 points off the bench for the Clippers, who were missing Kawhi Leonard.
Philadelphia roared out to a 20-3 lead in the first quarter, but the Clippers clawed their way back in the third to cut the margin to just three points with 2:50 left.
Los Angeles then took their first lead of the game in the fourth when Patrick Patterson nailed a three to make it 91-90.
But the 76ers dominated the game on the boards and in the paint and shooting guard Shake Milton drained a three pointer with 3:38 remaining to make it 97-94 as they never trailed again.
Leonard missed his fourth consecutive game due to right foot soreness while Philadelphia played without Seth Curry (left hip flexor tightness).
Elsewhere, Josh Jackson scored a team-high 29 points as the Detroit Pistons beat struggling Oklahoma City 110-104, handing the Thunder their ninth consecutive defeat.
Isaiah Steward finished with 15 points and a team rookie record 22 rebounds while Saddiq Bey and Frank Jackson chipped in 18 apiece for the Pistons.
Luguentz Dort led the Thunder with 26 points. Darius Bazley had 19 points and seven rebounds and Moses Brown added 12 points with eight rebounds in the loss.