MY ACCOUNT
Joel Embiid could not hide his smile in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as his partnership with debutant James Harden thrived.
Harden was making his 76ers debut after his NBA Trade Deadline move from the Brooklyn Nets, with the 2018 MVP scoring 27 points including five three-pointers along with eight rebounds and 12 assists.
Embiid’s influence remained as strong as ever, finishing with a game-high 34 points along with 10 rebounds and three assists.
The 76ers piled on the points showing Embiid and Harden had struck immediate cohesion with 65 first-half points, while they added another 41 in the fourth quarter.
“You should’ve seen my face every single time especially in the fourth,” Embiid told NBC Sports after the game. “The first three quarters obviously making plays for all of us.
“That was probably the most wide open I’ve ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets.
“I used to have to work for everything but I the fourth quarter the shot-making ability and shot creation, you should’ve seen my face.
“I’ve never had this. Nothing close to it. Hopefully it continues. We didn’t even play our best. I think we can be way better than that.”
The combination quelled fears that Harden’s arrival may stifle Embiid’s offensive impact, which has him among this season’s MVP candidates.
Instead, Harden’s influence enabled others to make strong impacts, including Tyrese Maxey who finished with 28 points, while the Sixers managed a season-high 19 three-pointers.
“Easy shot after easy shot. You’ve just got to be winning shooters. That’s what we were tonight,” Embiid added.
“[Harden] attracts a lot of attention. When you’ve two guys on the floor who do that, me and him, it becomes a little easier for everybody else. it’s on everyone else to just make shots.”
