


That sharp swing in the Clippers’ fortunes highlighted just how important opponents’ three-point shooting has been for the Sixers. then made its next three long-range tries. Montrezl Harrell is not a sterling rim protector, but zone can sometimes mitigate his weaknesses and encourage teams to play a perimeter-centric style.Įarly on, the Sixers’ defensive variety was effective, in large part because the Clippers began 2 for 13 from three-point range. The Sixers continued to feature zone defense during their minutes without Embiid. What to make of Sixers’ three-point defense No need to further boost his already lofty numbers. The Sixers recognized when they had opportunities to feed Embiid, and they were glad to reward him when he sprinted up the court to join fast breaks.Įmbiid checked out with 2:53 remaining in the fourth quarter and the win secure. On Tuesday, Embiid’s effort to get paint touches both in transition and in the half court was consistently excellent. He reached 28 first-half points on 10-for-15 shooting with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, then rose both arms, high-fived a few teammates, and casually walked back to the locker room. Those kinds of plays perhaps contribute to opponents doubling less than they should and taking too long to send full-out, aggressive help.Įmbiid accelerated his scoring pace a bit in the second quarter. Teams will double Embiid at this point even on nights when his teammates are making plenty of open jumpers, but it's always nice to provide early evidence that hard help may very well be costly. doubled off of Melton in the strong-side corner, Embiid hit him with a quick, simple pass, and the 24-year-old made the Clippers pay. He later made a put-back layup through contact and slammed in a dunk off a pick-and-roll with James Harden.Įmbiid wasn’t flawless against the Clippers’ double teams, but his first-quarter assist to De’Anthony Melton was significant. Embiid posted seven of the Sixers’ first 11 points, including a trailing three-pointer. Through a quarter, he was on pace for 52. 23, Embiid scored 44 points in an impressive comeback victory over the Clippers at home. 8 seeds in NBA playoff history?īack on Dec.
