After a 41-point explosion, 76ers’ Joel Embiid elicits a ‘strange’ reaction from Kevin Durant

After a 41-point explosion, 76ers’ Joel Embiid elicits a ‘strange’ reaction from Kevin Durant

Joel Embiid made his return to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup on MLK Day against the Houston Rockets following a three-game absence and he did not miss a single beat. Embiid was as dominant as ever, putting up 41 points on 12-21 shooting from the field and 16-17 shooting from the foul line. In fact, the 76ers star put up 26 of those points in just the first half, leading his team to a 66-47 halftime lead that they wouldn’t relinquish in their 124-115 win at home on Monday night.

Embiid has missed 10 games this season, and the 76ers have gone 3-7 in games without the reigning MVP in the lineup. Simply put, Embiid takes Philly from a middling team to one of the best units in the entire association, and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, in a tweet reacting to the 29-year old’s dominance over the Rockets on Monday night, summed up Embiid’s impact in the best way possible.

If there’s anyone who knows what unstoppable scoring looks like, it’s Kevin Durant, who needs just three quarters himself to take the game by the scruff of its neck. Joel Embiid had 33 points through three periods against the Rockets, and Houston simply had no answer for him, with Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. both looking hapless when it comes to defending the 76ers star.

It’s Embiid’s combination of brute force and finesse that allows him to pose a mismatch problem for nearly everyone in the NBA. Against slower big men, which Sengun is, the 76ers star can simply do his damage from the midpost area, either pulling up with his dangerous midrange jumper or taking it all the way to the hoop, drawing plenty of fouls in the process.

The 76ers are nearly 10 points better with Joel Embiid on the court, according to PBP Stats, with the simple reason being he’s one of the best in the league in manufacturing buckets out of nothing — a true hooper through and through, which explains Kevin Durant’s awe of him. Embiid is now averaging 34.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 28 games thus far this season.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*