The Los Angeles Clippers scored the best of the Philadelphia 76ers when the two teams met in LA last month, but the Sixers took revenge Friday night. In the final meeting between the two teams this regular season, the Sixers achieved a 106-103 victory, mainly thanks to MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who again achieved a dominant performance. Embiid finishes with 36 points and 14 rebounds, while Furkan Korkmaz adds 18 points for Philadelphia. With his attacking output, Embiid became the first Sixers player to score 35 points in three consecutive games since Allen Iverson in 2006.
Embiid continues to advance his MVP candidacy with every performance, and the Sixers center climbs to second place in the latest issue of NBA.com’s MVP Ladder after slipping out of the top five after suffering a knee injury last month has. On the other side of the floor, Paul George made the lead for the Clippers with 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Marcus Morris Sr. added 15 points and Patrick Patterson gave a big boost with 18 points off the bench.
Both teams lacked key contributors as the Clippers played without Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka and Patrick Beverley, and the Sixers were under Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Dwight Howard. Ultimately, it was the depths of Philadelphia that prevailed. The win was the fourth consecutive series for the Sixers, who currently control the top seed in the East, with about a month left before the national season. The loss, on the other hand, ended a seven-game winning streak for the Clippers, who sit third in the West.
Here’s a look at three take-aways from Philadelphia’s victory.
Embiid fired more free throws than the entire Clippers team
Joel Embiid joins the free throws at a historic pace this season. In fact, Embiid takes on average more attempts to throw per 36 minutes than any other player in NBA history.
The physical dominance was fully exhibited Friday night. The Clippers sent two and sometimes even three defenders to Embiid, but no matter who was on him, the big man made contact. On the night, Embiid fired more free throws than the entire Clippers team.
Over the course of the game, Embiid scored 16-out-18 from the charity streak, while the Clippers as a team were just 10-out-16. With Embiid leading the way, the Sixers shot 22-out-30 as a team. In a game determined by only three points, the 12-point advantage of the fault line enjoyed by the Sixers in this one was a major factor in the outcome. Few teams have the staff to slow down Embiid without consistently sending him to the line, and the Clippers are not one of them.
George, Patterson acted in Leonard’s absence
While Leonard was sidelined, the Clippers needed other guys to stand up and take on a bigger load on offense, and Paul George and Patrick Patterson did. George has played excellently ever since, and it has continued against the Sixers. He finished with 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists – the points production was his second highest of the season, and the fifth consecutive game where he scored at least 30 points. Patrick Patterson also performed. His 18 points were a season high, just like the five 3s he flattened. Overall, Patterson went 6-out-8 off the floor. Their joint production was not enough to drive LA to a win tonight without Leonard, but if they can continue to contribute as he is in the series, the Clippers will be very hard to stop.
The Sixers did not make any major moves by the deadline, but they did make a few small moves to strengthen the bench. One such move was to sign veteran forward Anthony Tolliver on a ten-day contract. Tolliver is a well-traveled veterinarian who can provide the team with extra floor space from the bench. He made his debut with the Sixers on Friday night and played 14 minutes for Philly. He didn’t score points, but he had two rebounds, an assist and a block, and he played a decent defense. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how – or if – he fits into Philadelphia’s rotation, or the team will bring him back to the conclusion of his current contract.
Following: The Clippers go home Sunday night to host the Timberwolves, while the Sixers will host the Warriors Monday night.