The old Joel Embiid - you know, that one from a few weeks ago - has returned.
Embiid dropped a career-high 33 points, and even made it a double-double with 10 rebounds, in the Sixers 108-107 win over the Nets on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center (see Instant Replay).
“I felt for the first time all over, he really wanted to dominate the game,” Brett Brown said afterward. “He really wanted to win the game, to be the anchor to everything that we were doing.”
Embiid exploded in the third quarter for 17 points. He shot an efficient 12 for 17 from the field, 2 for 3 from three and 7 for 8 from the line in 27:19 for the night, just under his 28-minute restriction. Embiid also had three blocks, two steals and an assist.
The big man had been quiet by his standards for most of the month as he's been impacted by the new starting pairing with Jahlil Okafor. Embiid averaged 12.0 points and five rebounds in their first two games together, while Okafor looked much more comfortable on the offensive end.
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On Sunday, the two were paired at the start of each half but alternated for the majority of their playing time. While Embiid ran up the scoreboard, it was Okafor who scored just three points but grabbed 11 rebounds.
“I thought my teammates were finding me and then I was getting into the flow of the offense. I don’t think I was forcing, I was just playing basketball,” Embiid said, also noting, “It (the pairing with Okafor) is kind of easier when you knock down shots and when shots are falling. I thought we both played hard today, we rebounded the ball and it was good defensively today.”
Embiid’s performance also included an acrobatic twist. During the fourth quarter, he dove into the stands after a loose ball. He did the same two games ago.
“I’m sorry for that person,” Embiid said. “I think I stepped on his shoulder. I’m sorry. … Like I’ve been saying, I’m going to give my all every time I’m on the court.”
Robert Covington said the dive “kind of scared everybody,” but that Embiid was exemplifying the emphasis the team places on hustle plays and 50-50 opportunities.
“I want to try personally to beat him to when he crashes to the floor and try to help,” Brown said. “I'm proud of him. I love it. I love it. Then after you love it, you're looking to make sure he's getting up healthy. I just think that it's the thing that endears himself to this city. That is the city. He’s got a chest bump, he’s got a high fist, he's trying to get people going. That is a big man torpedoing himself into the crowd to try to save a ball. You don't see that very often.”
Embiid admitted he has been under the weather, which was hard to tell by his showing on Sunday. He didn’t feel well before the game and had been dealing with headaches and breathing problems.
He kept a message imparted during a visit from Allen Iverson in mind, whether it meant propelling into the stands or battling through an illness.
“He was like ‘play like it’s your last game,’” Embiid said. “That’s what I think I’ve been doing.”
