Sixers Rally, Defeat Blazers
Joel Embiid scored a game-high 39 points as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied from a 21-point deficit late in the first half to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-119. Embiid hit a spinning, fadeaway jumper from the free throw line with 1.5 seconds remaining to provide the winning margin.
Embiid shot 13-20 from the field and 13-18 from free throw line. It’s the 18th time he’s made at least 10 field goals and 10 free throws in a game this season, the most such games in the NBA.
Embiid has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 26 games, matching the longest such streak of his career. He’s scored at least 25 points on 50% shooting from the field in seven straight games, also tying a career high.
Teammate James Harden returned from a one-game absence to produce 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, the latter two figures team highs. Harden shot 5-5 from the free throw line, passing Michael Jordan to move into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list for free throws made.
The Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons scored a team-high 34 points in the loss, shooting 13-22 from the field with eight 3-pointers made. Simons made his 200th 3-pointer of the season early in the second quarter. He’s the third player in franchise history to reach that mark in a season, joining Damian Lillard (eight times) and Wesley Matthews (once).
Speaking of Lillard, he scored 22 points and dished out a game-high 11 assists. Lillard has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 28 games, the longest such streak of his career by five games. He’s averaging 36.9 PPG and 7.3 APG over that span, with shooting percentages of 49.4% from the field, 38.2% from 3-point range, and 94.0% from the free throw line.
Butler Did It
Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 33 points — including 12 in the final 5:11 of the game — as the Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to knock off the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-115. Butler shot 12-16 from the field (75.0%) and made eight of his nine free throws.
Teammate Tyler Herro scored 25 points and recorded team highs in rebounds (9) and assists (4, tied). Herro shot 8-15 from the field — inclduing 5-7 from 3-point range — and made all four of his free throws.
Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting from the field, adding six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Adebayo is averaging a career-high 21.1 PPG this season.
The Heat’s Kevin Love grabbed seven boards, including his 9,000th career rebound in the first quarter. Love is the fourth active player to reach that mark:
10,606 — LeBron James
10,310 — DeAndre Jordan
9,874 — Andre Drummond
9,005 — Kevin Love
Love joined Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to record at least 9,000 rebounds and 1,000 3-pointers made.
The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 42 points in the loss, shooting 15-30 from the field with eight 3-pointers made. Mitchell has produced nine 40-point games in his first season as a Cavalier. Only two players in franchise history have recorded more such games in their entire tenure in Cleveland: LeBron James (51) and Kyrie Irving (11).
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Nikola Jokic compiled 37 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals, but it wasn’t enough as the San Antonio Spurs stunned the Denver Nuggets 128-120. The loss snapped a 29-game Nuggets winning streak when Jokic records a triple-double, the longest such streak in NBA history.
D’Angelo Russell had 28 points, nine assists, and five rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 122-112. The Raptors’ Scottie Barnes tallied 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the loss. The Lakers have won seven of their last nine games, moving to within a half-game of the Minnesota Timberwolves for eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 34 points as the Brooklyn Nets edged the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-123 in overtime. Bridges is averaging 25.8 PPG in his 12 games as a Net, with shooting splits of 51/49/90. He’s recorded six 30-point games over that span after producing just two such games in his 365 career games with the Phoenix Suns.