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Tim BontempsESPN
In a season full of dominant performances for the Joel Embiid center in the Philadelphia 76ers, no one was more dominant than the performance he put on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Embiid finished with a career high of 50 points to go along with 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and only 2 turnovers in 35 minutes, while Philadelphia visited Chicago to claim a 112-105 victory that it to 20 established. -10 on the season.
“We had to get it out,” Embiid then told Cassidy Hubbarth, ESPN. “If I am who I think I am, I have to do the job. This is my job. That’s why they pay me. ‘
Embiid was dominant throughout and ended his night with an absurd jumper in the corner to make it 109-103 with 41.8 seconds left.
After the play, Embiid turns to the empty stands in Wells Fargo Center and raises his hands to the ceiling – although instead of the usual thunderous waves of applause from the partisan fans in Philadelphia, he can only imagine what it might sound like as.
He later split a few free throws with 29.2 seconds left to officially increase his career, thus achieving his previous 49-point mark.
“I mean we did it as a team,” Embiid said when asked what led to his career night. “It was not a one – man effort. We all won together. My teammates found me, I got them, we shared the ball and we actually played better D than we have played the last few games, which me “It’s starting on defense, and I’m pretty happy with what we did in the end.”
Despite Embiid’s dominance, the Sixers still struggled to hide the Bulls (12-16), who got 30 points from Zach LaVine – albeit on 9-for-28 shooting – and had six players in double figures . Philadelphia, who played without star guard Ben Simmons (illness), got a combined 85 points from Embiid, Tobias Harris (22) and Danny Green (13).
“We needed each other,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said of Embiid’s 50 points.
The win ensured Rivers would be in charge of Kevin Durant’s team in next month’s All-Star Game, as Philadelphia set the best record in the Eastern Conference at the end of the weekend’s matches.
However, Rivers was less enthusiastic about it than he was Embiid’s dominant performance.
“I’m trying not to get in trouble,” Rivers said with a laugh. “I’m excited for our team.”