To quote the legendary Jay-Z: On to the next one.
The Philadelphia 76ers did just that last night, beating the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 in Fiserv Forum after losing by 48 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
Joel Embiid finished with 42 points, 14 rebounds, three triples, and 11 free throws while shooting over 65 percent from the field. After getting his 23-game streak of scoring 25+ broken on Tuesday, Embiid came back with a vengeance.
Thursday’s performance now brings Embiid to nine total games scoring 40+ — the most in the League. Embiid now leads the NBA in points per game, barely edging Giannis Antetokounmpo by 0.2 points with 29.6. Embiid also broke the tie with the Greek Freak for the most games this season with 35+ points and 12+ rebounds with 10 total.
This win comes without Philadelphia’s newly acquired superstar guard James Harden, but Embiid remains optimistic on what the 76ers will look like when the 2018 MVP takes the floor.
“I mean, he used to say Scary Hours. I say scary minutes,” said Embiid after the Bucks game per Yardbarker. “For all the 48 minutes, we’re going to be on the floor all together. I’m just excited for us to be healthy. I got to keep doing what I’ve been doing, and I’m sure my teammates are gonna follow. We’re pretty excited about what we can accomplish.”
There’s now a three-way tie between the 76ers, Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers for the third seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break. With the way Embiid has been playing recently, it’s not out of the realm of possibility the 76ers take that place — and maybe more.
That’s certainly true when Scary Minutes takes the floor.
