CWith a monumental Joel Embiid (41 points and 9 rebounds) and an explosive Tyrese Maxey in the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, who continue to show worrying signs and who could not celebrate the return of Paul George with triumph (110-120).
After five games out with hamstring problems, George returned to the field and added 13 points and 8 rebounds with 5 turnovers.
The Clippers, who rallied the game in the third period after trailing by 14 points, gave up in the fourth quarter, where the Sixers broke the score with a 9-25 run supported by an offensive display by Maxey (13 points in that segment for 22 in total).
This new defeat adds more doubts to the Clippers (23-23), who have only added two victories in their last ten games.
Kawhi Leonard (27 points) was the top scorer for a Clippers who lost 18 balls and only hit 12 of their 34 triples.
Instead, the Sixers (28-16), who overcame a weak day for James Harden (6 points and 9 assists), continue to climb the ranks in the East and have won five of their last six games.
EMBIID STARTS, MAXEY FINISHES
George entered the duel wanting to recover sensations as soon as possible and added 7 points in a good first period.
However, the forward could not counter Embiid’s power hammer, a torment for the Angelenos and who scored 13 points in the opening quarter to boost the Sixers on the scoreboard (27-34).
The unfortunate 2 of 10 triples by the Clippers in the first quarter continued as Tyronn Lue’s men had many problems to fine-tune their aim.
The turnovers also piled up on the local side and Philadelphia, with great comfort and with Tobias Harris asking for passage, opened an interesting mattress (27-41 with 9.50 for the break).
Reggie Jackson scored 7 straight points to revive the Clippers, but Embiid’s return to the track reinforced the visiting dominance before halftime.
Up to 28 points, including a great three-pointer in the last second of the quarter, the Cameroonian titan left against a desperate Ivica Zubac and the Sixers closed out a solid first half with a 52-63 lead.
The Clippers only made 5 of their 17 three-pointers at halftime and turned over 10 turnovers.
Going through the locker room felt great for the Clippers, who returned to the field with their batteries charged.
With Kawhi in front of the cavalry, the Clippers nailed a 17-7 run that left some clumsy Sixers offside, deciphering the zone defense and practically restarted the game (69-70 with 7.54 left).
Embiid continued to impose himself in the painting but Philadelphia began to accuse the lack of secondary actors and Harden’s bad night.
The one who was inspired was Kawhi, electric with 14 points in the third period alone and who allowed the Clippers to reach the last quarter with their options intact (89-90).
Three straight 3-pointers from Maxey suddenly refreshed the visitors’ offense as Embiid rallied for the final round.
Maxey’s nerve baffled the Clippers, who once again found themselves with a lot of ground to recover and with less and less time to go (98-111 with 5.55 to go).
The logjam in attack of the Angelenos was tremendous until reaching a partial of 9-25, a slab so heavy that Lue took out the white flag, retiring his figures with 3.15 on the clock.
