Robert Covington, Sixers Show ‘swagger' Without Joel Embiid in Comeback Win

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The Sixers began the season looking lost without Joel Embiid. Now they are finding ways to win when he is not on the court. 

Embiid suffered a left knee contusion in the second half of Friday's 93-92 win over the Trail Blazers (see story). He was sidelined for the decisive 8:50 of the game (see Instant Replay).

The Sixers trailed, 81-78, when he subbed out for the second time because of the injury, and outscored the Trail Blazers, 15-11, from that point on.

So how was this team that battled with inconsistency and reliance on Embiid able to pull out a comeback win punctuated in the final seconds? Ask the Sixers and they'll give varying answers, a sign they are getting the job done in multiple ways and aren't relying on just one key to success.

The most glaring difference was the hero of the game. Robert Covington drained two three-pointers in the final 40 seconds. His trey from Dario Saric with 38.2 remaining cut the Trail Blazers' lead to just one, 91-90. With 4.5 to go, he nailed the game-winning three from T.J. McConnell to give the Sixers their eighth victory in 10 games (see feature highlight).

"That's resilient Cov," Nerlens Noel said. "It doesn't matter if it's a good shot or a bad shot; he'll pull it in your face. That's the confidence he has and that's the confidence we need him to have. He steps up and makes two big shots like that, that's enough said. He won us that game."

Critics have called out Covington's up-and-down performance from three all season. (They've made their feelings known with loud boos at home games.) Covington shot 5 for 12 behind the arc on the night but his 2 for 3 performance in the fourth was what mattered most. 

"I am a fighter, that's what I have been my whole life," he said. "Just because fans are booing me at one point doesn't mean anything. I just keep working. I am not going to let that deteriorate my game. It goes in one ear and out the other."

Without Embiid in the game, the Sixers had to rely on a total team effort. After he went to the bench, the final points were scored by a combination of Covington, Gerald Henderson, Noel, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and McConnell.

"Ball movement," head coach Brett Brown said. "We had 25 assists out of 36 made baskets. It's not like we're going to give the ball to Damian Lillard (guard for the Blazers). That's not who we are. Whatever we do, it has to be done by committee, by a group, by a team. It's even more exposed when Joel isn't in the game. They did that. Unlikely people ended up with the ball sometimes in unlikely spots. … You have to move the ball. That's what the team has learned without Joel." 

Several of the players on the court in critical moments were from the second unit. Since Brown locked in on his rotation, the reserves don't have a drop-off in confidence from the starters. 

"It's the mentality," Covington said. "Everybody has that swagger about us right now because once Joel comes out, the next person steps in and fills that void. It's a matter of that contagious feeling that trickles into the second unit that's making us that much more valuable."

Then there's always defense, the foundation of any solid NBA team and a focal point for the Sixers. Noel saw that as the difference-maker when subbing in and out. The Trail Blazers scored just two points in the final 1:56. 

"The second unit goes there and does a great job guarding the yard, not letting up easy baskets," Noel said. "The offensive side is fluid motion. Guys get shots, pick-and-roll, it opens up open threes for guys, driving lines, pump fakes, it's a great unity."

Embiid liked what he saw from a distance. He will not travel with the team to their game on Saturday against the Hawks in Atlanta. 

"I'm just happy we've been closing out games, and the main thing I'm really happy [about] is they've been able to do it without me," he said. "That's going to give us a lot of confidence when I'm missing back-to-backs. My teammates are going to have more confidence to come in and play the same way."