Joel Embiid Posts 40-Point Triple-Double in Astonishing Performance

3 observations after Embiid’s vicious dunk, triple-double in Sixers win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joel Embiid is simply as good as it gets in basketball these days.

He turned in an astonishing performance Saturday night, recording his fourth career triple-double (40 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) in a103-93 Sixers win over the Cavs at Wells Fargo Center 

Cavs guard Darius Garland scored a team-high 27 points. 

James Harden touched down in Philadelphia on Saturday and got a warm greeting from Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. There’s no date set yet for his Sixers debut. Once Harden is cleared on the health front, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said pregame that the team planned to play him and that a practice wouldn’t be necessary. Harden and Paul Millsap were the Sixers’ only two inactive players.

Collin Sexton (left knee meniscus tear) and Lauri Markkanen (right ankle sprain) were out for Cleveland. 

The Sixers' final home game before the All-Star break is Tuesday night against the Celtics. Here are observations on their win over the Cavs: 

Early Embiid-Thybulle connection key 

Embiid played with a black wrap on his right wrist. Rivers said the team was not concerned about the swelling Embiid first experienced ahead of the Sixers’ win Friday over the Thunder. 

Jarrett Allen and Cleveland had no answers against Embiid, conceding 14 points (on five field-goal attempts) to him within seven minutes and 16 seconds. Embiid busted a Cavs zone possession with a three-pointer, beat Allen with a rip-through move and established early control of the game. 

One way he did that was making Cleveland pay for its plan of having Evan Mobley roam defensively. Mobley was technically assigned to Matisse Thybulle but eager to help on Embiid. Thybulle identified the resulting chances to score, posting four of the Sixers’ first seven points on a layup and dunk off of Embiid assists. 

Led by Embiid, the Sixers were extraordinarily efficient in the first quarter, beginning 13 of 17 from the floor. A driving Furkan Korkmaz layup stretched their lead to 34-19. 

Korkmaz came off the bench and Danny Green started along Thybulle. Deep analysis of Rivers’ rotation likely doesn't make sense at this stage, since Harden’s presence will change plenty, but he’d become more open to the Green-Thybulle pair before the Sixers’ deadline deal. Those two won’t start for a fully healthy team, but they’re still the Sixers’ two top wings and good together. 

That’s the dunk of the season, right? 

Paul Reed backed up Embiid for a second straight night and wasn’t overmatched at all against Mobley, a do-it-all 7-footer and Rookie of the Year contender.

Reed wrapped a lefty layup around Mobley, stayed on his body defensively without searching too hard for impactful plays, and stuck to his strengths. Instead of forcing contested shots, he kicked the ball out to the perimeter after securing offensive rebounds. Rivers has sounded high on Reed’s chances of helping the post-deadline Sixers. That would be a big role for a second-year player drafted with the 58th pick, but perhaps Reed will seize it.

Whoever the Sixers use at backup center, the bottom line is they’ll always be best off when Embiid’s on the court. That was the case Saturday and Cleveland trimmed its deficit down to two points late in the second quarter. Embiid then had an injury scare, drawing a foul on Allen and grabbing his back.

The home crowd’s unease about Embiid’s health almost immediately shifted into jubilation and disbelief. He threw down a dunk with shades of prime Blake Griffin, Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards.

Not bad for someone who’s joked that he’s “7-2, 600 pounds.” 

Embiid’s first-half stat line would’ve been a solid night’s work for many stars: 24 points, six assists, five rebounds. Tremendous to watch, frightening to face. The next logical step in a rapidly rising career is deep playoff success, which the Sixers hope happens with Harden. 

Garland’s firepower doesn’t doom Sixers 

Garland, who stands almost a foot shorter than Embiid, kept pace with his relentless shotmaking for much of the game. 

The first-time All-Star’s major disadvantage was only taking two foul shots, but he hurt the Sixers with pull-up three-pointers and creative, intuitive baskets. A one-handed scoop shoot and a high-arcing baseline jumper were among his best. 

Unlike Embiid, Garland was ineffective as a facilitator in a one-assist night. And the Sixers’ starting point guard also didn’t have a bad offensive game; Tyrese Maxey was the team’s No. 2 scorer with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting.

Shake Milton chipped in six points on 3-for-5 shooting and five assists, too. He looked more comfortable playing through contact in his second game since a Jan. 3 back contusion and scored in the paint on the team’s final possessions of the first and third quarters. 

With Milton on the court and Embiid taking his final rest, the Sixers built their lead to 14 points early in the fourth quarter. That edge dipped to seven points before a bit of superstar intervention from Embiid, who made a fadeaway jumper and top-of-the-key three on back-to-back possessions. 

Soon after, Embiid sealed his triple-double with a hit-ahead pass to Tobias Harris for a dunk. He even threw in some flashy open-floor ball handling and an-one layup. The "MVP" chants were absolutely valid.