NBA
November 16, 2017

Post Up: All Embiid

76ers 115 (8-6), Lakers 109 (6-9)

Joel Embiid had the game of his life (so far) on the brightest stage. He scored 46 points, had 15 rebounds, blocked seven shots, and handed out seven assists. He also shot 14-20 from the field and 16-19 from the line.

Embiid did it all.

And he needed to. The Sixers went into the final quarter trailing by a point, but Embiid scored 19 in the fourth to help Philly pull it out.

Though overshadowed, Ben Simmons almost had a triple-double — he had 18 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, and five steals. On any other night, he would have been the story.

Brandon Ingram played 40 minutes and tallied 26-and-11 for the Lakers.

Cavaliers 115 (8-7), Hornets 107 (5-8) 

The King’s playground was temporarily moved to Charlotte on Wednesday. LeBron scored 31 and had eight assists, filling the highlight reel with plays like this:

LeBron is now 40-6 all-time against the Hornets in the regular season and the Cavs as a team have won seven straight against Charlotte.

The Hornets have now lost five in a row, but were led by 22 from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and 20 from Kemba Walker.

Wizards 102 (9-5), Heat 93 (6-8) 

The third and fourth quarters could not have been more different for the Wizards. They committed four turnovers and made just four field goals in the third, as the Heat outscored them 25-10. That allowed Miami to take a 74-71 lead heading into the final period.

Then the fourth quarter happened. Jodie Meeks got things started with a jumper 24 seconds in. Then, after a brief Goran Dragic outburst, Washington went on a 15-3 run. The Wizards never looked back.

John Wall had 27 points and Bradley Beal had 26 more to lead the way. But, as usual, it wasn’t Wall’s point total that fans will remember from this game. It was plays like this:

Hawks 126 (3-12), Kings 80 (3-11) 

You read that score right. The Atlanta Hawks, who came into the game 2-12, beat the Kings by 46 points. 46.

The Hawks outscored the Kings 40-19 in the second quarter and went into halftime up by 29. They only built on it from there. Atlanta shot 63 percent for the game and went 16-32 from three. Eight players scored in double figures, led by 21 from Dennis Schroeder. Dewayne Dedmon had 20-and-14 as the Hawks owned the glass, 53-29.

Zach Randolph had 16 in what was an overall forgettable night for the Kings, who have now lost three straight.

Knicks 106 (8-6), Jazz 101 (6-9)

Comebacks and late-game heroics are starting to become the norm at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit in this one to earn their third comeback win in the past eight days.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 26 on 7-15 shooting to lead the Knicks, with no shot bigger than his triple with 32 seconds left that extended New York’s lead to four. The Knicks forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, and Hardaway made two free throws to put the game away.

The Jazz hit 17 threes in the game, including six from Rodney Hood, who led all scorers with 30 points.

Pacers 116 (7-8), Grizzlies 113 (7-7)

It almost got away from the Pacers. Leading by 17 with 9:41 to play in the game, Indiana gave up 10 points over the next three minutes and had to sweat it out to secure its seventh win of the season. The Grizzlies closed to within four on several occasions, then to three on a Marc Gasol free throw that provided the final score.

Darren Collison had 30 points and eight assists to lead the Pacers, while Victor Oladipo added 21 more. Gasol had 35-13-and-5 for  Memphis.

Bucks 99 (8-6), Pistons 95 (10-4)

The Bucks blocked 16 shots (including four each from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker) to stifle the Pistons at home. Milwaukee fell just two blocks short of a team record, set in 1980, coincidentally also against Detroit.

Eric Bledsoe had 12 points in the second half to provide a needed boost for his new team, which has now won four in a row. Khris Middleton had 27 to lead the Bucks in scoring. Avery Bradley had 28 for the Pistons, and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 17 rebounds.

Timberwolves 98 (9-5), Spurs 86 (9-6)

The Timberwolves exploded for 39 points in the second quarter to snap a 12-game losing streak to the Spurs.

Karl Anthony Towns celebrated his 22nd birthday with 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead Minnesota. As a team, the Timberwolves scored a season-low 98 points but still managed to win by double-digits thanks to 16 Spurs turnovers and 29 percent San Antonio shooting from three.

The Spurs, who are still shorthanded, playing without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, were led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 15 points.

Raptors 125 (9-5), Pelicans 116 (8-7)

The Raptors won their second game in their second city in as many days on the heels of a 16-34 three-point shooting performance.

DeMar Derozan had 25 points as one of three Toronto players to score 20-or-more. Kyle Lowry just missed a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. He also shot 4-10 from deep.

As a team, the Raptors shot 59 percent from the field and went 19-20 from the line. They did turn the ball over 21 times, but their hot shooting from three helped mask that.

DeMarcus Cousins had 25 to lead the Pelicans.

Thunder 92 (7-7), Bulls 79 (2-10)

A disastrous first quarter turned out to be too much for the Bulls to overcome. They trailed 27-7 (7!) after a quarter and never quite got back into it as the Thunder rolled behind 21 points from Russell Westbrook. Carmelo Anthony added 18-and-11, and Jerami Grant came off the bench to score 15 more.

As for the Bulls, it was a struggle. Lauri Markkanen and Antonio Blakeney each had 16, but Chicago shot just 35 percent overall. The Bulls have now lost five in a row and seven out of eight.

Trail Blazers 99 (8-6), Magic 94 (8-7)

Damian Lillard had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, while Shabazz Napier was a perfect 5-5 from three to lead the Blazers to a hard-fought win.

Portland trailed by nine after the first quarter, but Napier scored 11 in the second to help his team take the lead into halftime.

Evan Fournier had 22 to lead the Magic, who have now lost three straight, all on the road against Western Conference teams.

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