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0 Joel Embiid shoots 11-for-23 (11-12 FTs) to extend franchise-record streak of 30-point games.
Joel Embiid racks up 33 points on 11-for-23 shooting vs. Charlotte.
The Philadelphia 76ers claimed a victory over the Charlotte Hornets with a score of 97-89 on Saturday night, marking their fifth consecutive win. Joel Embiid, the reigning Kia NBA MVP, once again proved his mettle by scoring 33 points, extending his franchise-record run of 30 or more to 20 games. Embiid also grabbed 10 rebounds and was 11-for-23 from the field, including 11-for-12 on free throws.
Despite playing without their top centers, Mark Williams and Nick Richards, the Charlotte Hornets put up a good fight. However, they were forced to defend Embiid with P.J. Washington and Nathan Mensah, which created a significant size mismatch for the 76ers’ 7-foot, 280-pound center. The Hornets were forced to double team Embiid most of the game, but the 76ers’ game plan was simple – to exploit the mismatches and execute it.
The Hornets led 73-69 after the third quarter, but the 76ers made a comeback in the fourth quarter with Embiid on the bench, going on a 13-2 run. Tobias Harris and Danuel House combined for 11 points during the stretch. Embiid checked back into the game with 6:52 left, with the 76ers up by four, and they outscored the Hornets 15-9 the rest of the way. Embiid’s fallaway jumper with 2:42 remaining put the 76ers up by 10, and they were never trailed again.
Charlotte coach Steve Clifford acknowledged Embiid’s brilliance and felt his team had done a decent job defending him, given that he had scored 42 points against them on December 16. However, the Hornets were without their own two 7-footers, which made it more challenging to defend Embiid. Clifford said, “I mean, he’s a brutal guy to defend. We did a lot better than we did last time.”
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