Joel Embiid did not join the Sixers on his last trip because of pain in his right knee. He was back for Wednesday’s clash against the Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center, however, and the Sixers are certainly thrilled that he is available.
Embiid led the Sixers to a 117-109 victory, scoring 42 points from 19 field-goal attempts, catching 10 rebounds and helping the team improve to 10-5 with another MVP-level performance.
Seth Curry approved the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but did not play on Wednesday as he regained fitness after a positive test for COVID-19 on January 7. All players who test positive for COVID-19 are not allowed to exercise for at least 10 days, according to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Celtics star Jayson Tatum could return to the end of this miniseries on Friday, while making headway after allegedly testing positive for COVID-19.
Here are the remarks about the Sixers’ victory on Wednesday:
Too embiid to handle
Embiid looked sharp and impossible to defend effectively.
The Sixers were successful at first using it in the left elbow region and in pick-and-pops at the top of the switch, more difficult places for the Celtics to double the team than in the low block.
Boston still didn’t mind pairing with Embiid whenever possible, of course, and the Sixers were also perfectly happy to post it. There was a good run for the Sixers in the second quarter, when Embiid won a position near the left block, asked for help and made the simple pass out, and ended up watching Shake Milton hit a three across the floor. A cross assist for Danny Green in the third quarter was another highlight of Embiid’s pass that demonstrated his talent this season to perform in basic and sophisticated readings of the post.
Embiid is an elite in creating free throws and showed that against another opponent not equipped to stop him, making 17 of 21. This ability was especially important when the Sixers experienced a long drought in the second quarter without a field goal. Embiid’s health is critical to the Sixers, and the team’s 0-3 record without him this season is not necessary to illustrate this obvious fact. That said, credit Dwight Howard for being a nuisance to the Celtics and recording six offensive rebounds.
In contrast to Embiid, Ben Simmons’ score can again be described as modest. The 24-year-old did not score until a charge against Jeff Teague and the following transition slam at the start of the third period. He suffered his fifth foul at the end of the third quarter and finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
While Simmons attacked the rim well on several occasions when he felt an opening and hit 7 out of 10 from the foul line, a 17 point exit on January 6 against the Wizards is still his biggest this season. Simmons obviously contributes consistently in many ways in addition to scoring and should benefit when Curry returns.
Tobias Harris (22 points out of 9 out of 17 shots) provided some offensive momentum needed at key moments, scoring seven consecutive points when the Sixers were left behind by 12-4 and helping the team to retake the lead early in the fourth period in a squad with four bank players.
Korkmaz’s return and the impact on the Sixers’ Bank
Furkan Korkmaz returned on Wednesday after failing three weeks due to a sprain in the left adductor, scoring seven points in 19 minutes, including a stylish reverse dunk. Isaiah Joe was the stranger, as Milton, Howard, Matisse Thybulle and Korkmaz were the only Sixers from the second unit to appear.
Asked about Joe before the game, coach Doc Rivers noted that he is not the only hitmaker on Sixers.
“He’s a guy who can shoot, but he can also Shake, Furkan too, Danny Green and Seth Curry too,” said Rivers. “He’s just in a line of guys that we have. It is a great luxury. It’s a great luxury to have a guy who can get out of the bank and shoot. Do you know what else? I thought he also proved to be a solid defender, which will help in the advance ”.
Since playing 45 minutes for the seven-player Sixers on January 9, Joe has scored 17 of 39 (43.6 percent) in the three-point range. We assume that he will have another opportunity soon, either because of another player’s injury or Rivers’ decision at some point to share his minutes with Korkmaz or Thybulle. As Rivers mentioned, the novice winger looks smart and proudly defensive, qualities that should boost his game, even if his jumper isn’t falling.
A defensive issue
Tyrese Maxey designed the initial task on Kemba Walker. The rookie did not have an auspicious start, as Walker, in his second game back after losing the start of this season due to an injury to his left knee, drained two initial three-point pulls. Matisse Thybulle bothered Walker a little in the second quarter with his length, constant activity and disturbing rear-view competitions, but Walker managed to make two more long-range jumpers. The Sixers were fortunate that Walker (19 points) played just 22 minutes and was not as warm after the break as Boston concentrated on getting him back in action.
Although the Sixers did not make their great men fall far behind against Walker, they were also unwilling to blitz regularly or otherwise force the ball out of the four-time All-Star’s hands. In a future playoff series, would they play a more aggressive pick-and-roll defense against him? We will not have an answer to that question anytime soon, although we are looking for adjustments at the end of this miniseries.