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Tim BontempsESPN
In a season full of dominant performances for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, none was more dominant than his Friday night performance against the Chicago Bulls.
Embiid finished with 50 points, the best of his career, with 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and just 2 turns in 35 minutes, while Philadelphia held on to Chicago to secure the 112-105 victory that the took to 20 -10 in the season.
“We had to make it,” Embiid told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth afterwards. “If I am who I think I am, I have to do the job. This is my job. That’s why they pay me.”
Embiid was totally dominant throughout the night, crowning his night with an absurd jump back in the corner to make 109-103 with 41.8 seconds to finish.
After the play, Embiid turned to the empty bleachers inside the Wells Fargo Center and raised his hands to the ceiling – although, instead of the usual waves of applause he would receive from Philadelphia supporters, he could only imagine what it could do. Sounds like.
He later split a pair of free throws with 29.2 seconds remaining to officially set his career record, breaking his previous 49 point mark.
“I mean, we did it as a team,” said Embiid, when asked about what led him to the night of his career. “It wasn’t a one-man effort. We all won together. My teammates found me, I found them, we shared the ball and, in fact, we played D better than in the last games, which made me happy. It starts in defense. , and I’m very happy with what we did in that end. “
Despite Embiid’s dominance, the Sixers still struggled to keep the Bulls (12-16), who got 30 points from Zach LaVine – albeit in 9 of 28 shots – and had six players in double figures. Philadelphia, playing without Ben Simmons (illness), had 85 combined points from Embiid, Tobias Harris (22) and Danny Green (13).
“We needed each of them,” said Sixers coach Doc Rivers on Embiid’s 50 points.
The win, in turn, ensured that Rivers would be in charge of Kevin Durant’s team in next month’s All-Star Game, with Philadelphia achieving the best record in the Eastern Conference by the end of this weekend’s games.
Rivers, however, was less enthusiastic about this than Embiid’s dominant performance.
“I’m trying not to have a problem,” Rivers said with a laugh. “I’m excited for our team.”