Joel Embiid scored 17 of his career-high 33 points in the third quarter of Sunday night’s 108-107 win for the Philadelphia Sixers over the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
The big fella says that his hard-nosed play was inspired by Allen Iverson, whom the Sixers honored Friday night.
Embiid added 10 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes of action.
Per the AP:
Embiid added 10 rebounds and also dived over the first row in an effort to save a loose ball, a hustle play that thrilled Philadelphia’s gritty fans. A leading Rookie of the Year candidate, Embiid said plays like that are modeled after Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who the 76ers honored during Friday night’s game against the Lakers.
“A.I. kind of helped me with that,” Embiid said. “It was like, ‘Play like it’s your last game.’ That’s what I think I’ve been doing. I’m sorry for that person. I think I stepped on his shoulder. I’m sorry, but I’m going to give my all every time I’m on the court.”
“He wanted to dominate the game,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. […] Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points for the 76ers, who snapped an eight-game home losing streak while winning for the third time in 13 games.
