Joel Embiid had 30 points and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points and the Philadelphia 76ers pulled within a half-game of seventh place in the Eastern Conference by beating the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies 116-96 on Saturday night.

Embiid was 9 of 13 from the floor, making both of his 3-point attempts. He checked out with seven minutes left in the third quarter and coach Nick Nurse saw no reason for him to return as Philadelphia maintained a comfortable lead in the second half en route to its fourth consecutive win.

Jojo welcoming the rookie to the NBA. 😤 pic.twitter.com/0IywW5VI9P

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 7, 2024

Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 24 points, while GG Jackson finished with 17. Jordan Goodwin added 15 for Memphis, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Maozinha Pereira had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Grizzlies had little answer for Embiid in the first half. The Philadelphia center collected 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, plus 10 rebounds as the 76ers built a 62-42 halftime advantage. Memphis was just 2 of 12 from outside the arc, part of the Grizzlies shooting 37%.

Philadelphia outscored Memphis 34-19 in the second quarter and the Grizzlies could make little headway to start the second half, never cutting the deficit into single digits. The pieces the Grizzlies had cobbled together didn’t have the offensive firepower, and they still trailed by 86-70 after the third.

10/10 fast break. no notes. pic.twitter.com/shku6fILt5

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 7, 2024

While the depleted Grizzlies had 13 players who did not dress against the 76ers, Philadelphia has gotten healthier with Embiid’s return from knee surgery and is trying to avoid the play-in games. Besides being a half-game behind Miami for the No. 7 spot, the Sixers also moved within one game of Indiana for sixth place in the East and a guaranteed playoff spot.

While the season has featured few highlights for the Grizzlies, the franchise did hold a celebration Saturday night with the retirement of former center Marc Gasol’s jersey. Gasol, who played 11 seasons with Memphis, was an anchor on the grit and grind era that took the franchise to the postseason for seven consecutive seasons, including reaching the Western Conference finals in 2013.

A highlight-packed Embiid half 

On Thursday night in Miami, the Sixers’ starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Oubre, Nicolas Batum and Embiid sprinted to a 17-2 lead.

Buddy to the rescue! pic.twitter.com/bZzLb7kwkU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 7, 2024

On Saturday in Memphis, they built a 12-2 advantage. Though the same game-opening play call resulted in a missed Maxey three-pointer this time, the Sixers had early success working around Embiid in the middle of the floor. He nailed his first two jumpers. Lowry and Oubre both scored layups in transition.

Embiid’s long layoff was still evident in his third game back from a left lateral meniscus injury. He made a patient, smart pass fake and spotted Lowry open in the corner, but Embiid then threw the ball at the veteran guard’s feet. His first stint also included a missed layup through traffic and an offensive foul in the post against 24-year-old Grizzlies big man Trey Jemison.

Embiid committed eight turnovers Saturday. Health permitting, his rhythm and instincts should be a bit sharper by the playoffs.

Already, he’s shown many of the tools that had him on track for a third consecutive scoring title. Embiid’s slick footwork gave him space to drain a baseline jumper on the Sixers’ first play of the second quarter. He then got Jemison on his heels before hitting another shot from the nail. Embiid leaped up to deny a bold Jemison dunk attempt early in the second period, too.

Court repairs required

The officials stopped the action early in the second quarter because of loose court panels near the scorer’s table.

Buddy Hield and GG Jackson amusingly teamed up to help restore solid footing.

Hield, who’d shot 0 for 6 from the field and played only 12 minutes against the Heat, broke his ice with a corner three late in the first quarter. He posted seven points on 3-for-12 shooting in the game. Cameron Payne (1 for 7 from the floor) also had a rough shooting night off the Sixers’ bench.

Jackson, a 19-year-old rookie forward, recorded his 14th straight double-figure scoring game with 17 points. Scotty Pippen Jr. was Memphis’ top scorer, posting a career-high 24 points. The Sixers didn’t play an exemplary defensive game, but the Grizzlies were clearly light on resources (in addition to playing the second night of a back-to-back).

Fortunately, with assistance from Jackson and Hield, the Sixers and Grizzlies were able to play the full 48 minutes Saturday night.

Back to the stars watching the fourth

Leading by 20 points at halftime, the Sixers got outplayed by Memphis in the third quarter.

Jackson and Pippen made threes early in the third, Embiid missed three foul shots in a row, and the Grizzlies trimmed their deficit as low as 11 points.

The Sixers never seemed in real danger of squandering their lead, though. They played some zone in the third, which might occasionally be a useful way to limit the defensive energy Embiid needs to expend in the playoffs. Drawing free throws never hurts on that front either. Embiid, who’s averaged 11.7 free throw attempts per game over the past three seasons, shot 10 for 13 at the foul line in Memphis.

Saturday’s game was a reminder of the comfortable wins that were borderline routine months ago for the Sixers. They subbed in Jeff Dowtin Jr. (11 points, five rebounds) late in the third quarter and brought Ricky Council IV in to open the fourth.

The Sixers were able to close out the win without playing any starters in the fourth quarter. Oubre’s 26 minutes and 32 minutes led the team, which is obviously ideal on the first leg of the season’s last back-to-back.