Sixers praise Joel Embiid for big 2nd half in their road win over Heat
The Philadelphia 76ers got off to a tough start on the road on Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back. In a matchup with the tough and physical Miami Heat, they would need their superstar to begin going off in order to get the job done.
After shooting just 3-for-11 in the first half and 1-for-4 from the free-throw line, Joel Embiid turned it around in a high way by scoring 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the second half to lead the Sixers to a 109-98 win over the Heat.
The big fella was absolutely dominant all night long after halftime and the Heat truly did not have an answer for him after Embiid started slowly.
“Just him,” said coach Doc Rivers. “That’s what great players do. Nothing we did. We got him the ball in the same areas, he got comfortable, he knew the spots where he wanted to take shots from so that’s who Joel is.”
The Sixers really needed Embiid in the worst way. While Tobias Harris and Seth Curry were able to help the team in the first half and keep them afloat, they weren’t going to win the game unless the big fella got going.
“Not much, really,” Embiid said of a change. “There was no way I could have played worse than I did in that first half. I said it earlier, I was probably the worst player in the NBA in that first half so there was no way I could’ve played worse than I did. All I needed to do was just be aggressive.”
The slow start could have been due to the right elbow soreness he experienced. He suffered the injury in Friday’s win over the Boston Celtics at home. He just isn’t sure at what point in the game.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure,” said Embiid. “Probably early in the game. Not sure when it happened.”
The important part is, the Sixers were still able to come away with an important victory on their part. It is only January and there is a ton of basketball left to be played, but this was one they needed in terms of moving up in the Eastern Conference standings.
“I missed a couple easy shots in that first half,” Embiid finished. “Obviously, free throws, I haven’t shot like that in a while. Obviously, my elbow is not feeling good, but I gotta push through and we got a win.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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