The Joel Embiid MVP case improves.
Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:
Joel Embiid: 20
Tyrese Maxey: 9
Seth Curry: 8
Tobias Harris: 4
Andre Drummond: 3
Matisse Thybulle: 2
Furkan Korkmaz: 1
Charles Bassey: 1
It’s been one of those evenings where I’ve truly enjoyed being a Sixers fan. An infuriating first quarter gave way to a huge second-half comeback that had a Saturday night crew at Wells Fargo Center living it up. The 103-101 win puts the Sixers at 30-19 overall, winning their fourth-straight game.
*”Hell’s Bells” starts playing*
Joel Embiid: 36 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block
On a night where the should-be MVP got off to a slow offensive start, he rebounded and was able to put together a Embiid stat line that’s become routine this season. In a similar vein, it wasn’t too dissimilar to Embiid’s 27-9-7 performance against the Lakers, which even the big man himself derided as “terrible.” Embiid is probably overdue for a game of rest, displaying some signs of being worn down following this absolutely nuclear stretch he’s on, but the dude still brought the goods regardless.
Tobias Harris: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
It was Harris’ strong first quarter, when everyone else on the Sixers wasn’t doing jack, that kept them ever-so-slightly hanging in this one against the Kings. Harris, despite most Sixers fans wanting to run him out of town (hand up!), has been playing well as of late. I’m not sure he showcased himself enough that the Kings would want to part with second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton for a package of him and Ben Simmons, but he played his role well enough if you close your eyes and pretend you don’t know what percent of the salary cap he’s taking up.
Tyrese Maxey: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
This dude rocks. If there’s a player who personifies Daryl Morey’s “I’m just riffing, baby” slogan, it’s Maxey. The guard did a little bit of everything tonight, packing a much-needed scoring punch from the perimeter, dishing out assists and running well in transition.