3 observations after Sixers ride hot start to victory in masked Embiid’s return

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3 observations after Sixers ride hot start to victory in masked Embiid’s return originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joel Embiid made a triumphant, masked return Friday night.

Wearing a black protective mask a week after suffering a sinus fracture, Embiid led the Sixers to a 108-98 win at Wells Fargo Center over the Hornets.

He had 34 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Three Sixers hit the 20-point mark in Embiid, Tyrese Maxey (23 points) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (22).

The Sixers were without Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery) and Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement). LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller were among the five Charlotte players sidelined.

At 9-16, the Sixers now have 44.4 percent of their wins this season against the Hornets, who went winless in the four-game season series. Charlotte fell to 7-21.

The Sixers will visit the Eastern-Conference leading Cavs on Saturday night. Here are observations on their fourth and final victory of the season against the Hornets:

Star trio clicks out of the gates 

In the first minute or two, it appeared Embiid might take a little while to adapt to playing with a mask for the third time in his career. He missed mid-range jumpers on the Sixers’ first two plays.

However, Embiid and the Sixers were soon off and rolling. He got a layup off a sharp two-man action with Paul George and then scored an and-one hoop in the post. Embiid pulled his mask down to shoot the free throw and polish off the three-point play.

When Charlotte decided to double team Embiid hard, crisp passes from Embiid and George set Oubre up for a corner three.

The Sixers’ stars gelled very nicely with both designed and unscripted two-man and three-man actions. Maxey sunk a three off a between-the-legs Embiid feed to lift the Sixers to a 23-8 lead. When George was doubled in the post, he made the simple kick-out pass to Maxey on the wing and notched his fourth assist of the opening quarter.

Almost nothing went wrong for Maxey and the Sixers during a 41-point first period. Maxey played the whole first quarter, racked up 15 points and drained 4 of 6 three-pointers…. [ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-sixers-ride-hot-023132703.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-12-21 02:31:00

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