Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was on fire Sunday night. Teammate Tyrese Maxey had some advice for his team. Give the ball to Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a close game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday. After a slow start to the season, the 76ers have been trying to get back on the right track. When the team needed a spark, Embiid delivered in a big way.
Embiid had a jaw-dropping performance, finishing with 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks in a 105-98 win. When asked about the performance, guard Tyrese Maxey shared a funny story about what he told coach Doc Rivers as he tried to draw up a play. Maxey, knowing that Embiid was absolutely dominating, suggested an easier idea:
"At one point coach was trying to run a pick-and-roll play, and I was like, 'Let's just give the ball to Joel."
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Joel Embiid puts on a show in 76ers' recent win
It was a dominant performance from Joel Embiid against the Utah Jazz. With the win, the Philadelphia 76ers moved to 7-7. After a slow start and losing James Harden to injury, Philadelphia is back to .500 on the year with their superstar big man starting to thrive.
Embiid has started to put up some scary numbers as of late. In his last four games, he's averaging 40.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.8 blocks per game.
Philadelphia came into the season as a popular pick to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. But Harden has been dealing with a foot injury and is expected to miss around a month.
In his absence, Embiid has started to play some of his best basketball yet. He put up 42 points in a 121-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks the day before to almost personally be responsible for a two-game winning streak.
The goal now for the 76ers will be to build some momentum. Philadelphia will have three more games on their current homestand. Next up will feature a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (10-2), who are currently first in the Eastern Conference. After the Bucks, Philadelphia will face the Minnesota Timberwolves (6-8) and Brooklyn Nets (6-8).
Embiid is starting to look like his old self. The superstar big man has the talent to be an unstoppable force when he's in a groove. If Embiid can continue to keep this play up, the 76ers might just find themselves adding to their win column.
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