MY ACCOUNT
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers hailed Joel Embiid for taking an “Alonzo Mourning approach” with his decisive block on DeMar DeRozan in a 103-98 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
With less than 10 seconds left and the 76ers leading 102-98, DeRozan drove to the bucket for a dunk that would have ensured a tense finale but was blocked by Embiid. It was a play that Rivers labelled “game-saving” and likened to a move by Miami Heat great Mourning.
Embiid has not been at his best this season, averaging 21.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He finished this game with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists but stood up when it counted.
“Big play at the rim. Really big play,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “I love when bigs go after dunks. Half these guys in the league won’t go after it because they are worried if they get dunked on.
“I love the Alonzo Mourning approach. I thought Joel took it. Going after DeRozan, that’s a big play, that’s a game-saving play.”
Seth Curry top-scored for the Sixers with 22 points, shooting nine from 14 from the field, including a clutch two-pointer to put them 102-98 up.
The result improved Philadelphia, who are still without Ben Simmons, to 6-2 and completed a run of four home games with four wins.
The 76ers were also missing starters Tobias Harris (COVID-19) and Danny Green (hamstring), making their run of victories more impressive having been 2-2 after a 112-99 loss to the New York Knicks.
“It was huge. We talked about it after the New York game. We had a four-game home stand, we had to win them all,” Rivers said.
“We obviously didn’t know we’d have all these guys out. The fact we still won them all with all these guys out was pretty cool.”
