After Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, will Joel Embiid achieve the double? Reigning MVP, the Sixers pivot dominates the NBA like never before, and last night, he made an impression by scoring 51 points against the best defense in the NBA! Opposite, there was Rudy Gobert but Embiid's undermining work did immense damage as proven by his 17 out of 25 on shots, but also his 17 out of 18 on free throws.
“Rudy’s exit after four minutes clearly hurt us” explains Chris Finch. It's true that it was from the exit of the Frenchman, penalized by the mistakes, that the Sixers launched their match, and that Embiid pressed even harder. It was even more visible in the 3rd quarter in which he scored 19 points!
“I felt like I was staying within the framework of the attack and not forcing anything”assures Embiid, who averages 38.3 match points in the last 12 matches. “I took what I was given. I tried to understand when I should be aggressive and when I should let my teammates do what they need to do. »
An Embiid who has abandoned the 3-point shot since the start of the season to favor mid-distance play. Which allows him to be even more dangerous since he can, with a dribble or a few touches, create distance with his defender, or go to the end. Like at the end of the 3rd quarter, where he crushed two huge dunks.
A crazy series of matches with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds…
“He continues to improve and he does enough different things, at different paces, to create doubt among his defenders” underlines Nick Nurse. “If the guys come at him, he can get them. And I like it when he goes to the low post.”
Tonight, Embiid reached the 40 point mark for the 4th time in 5 matches! This is his 12th game in a row with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. This is the longest running streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1971/72 season! But Embiid doesn't care about any of that…
“We win, and that’s the only thing that counts!” » he replies. “Stats are great, and it’s great to line up stats. But when you lose, it's not the same story… If you win, that changes everything! »
And the Sixers win since it is their 7th victory in eight matches, and it is especially against the leaders of the NBA (before the meeting).
| Joel Embiid | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | PHL | 31 | 25 | 46.6 | 36.7 | 78.3 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 20.2 |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 63 | 30 | 48.3 | 30.8 | 76.9 | 2.3 | 8.7 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 22.9 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 64 | 34 | 48.4 | 30.0 | 80.4 | 2.5 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 27.5 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 51 | 30 | 47.7 | 33.1 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 8.9 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 23.0 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 51 | 31 | 51.3 | 37.7 | 85.9 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 28.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 68 | 34 | 49.9 | 37.1 | 81.4 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 30.6 |
| 2022-23 ★ | PHL | 66 | 35 | 54.8 | 33.0 | 85.7 | 1.7 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 33.1 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 23 | 34 | 53.4 | 33.8 | 89.0 | 2.9 | 8.9 | 11.8 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 34.4 |
| Total | 417 | 32 | 50.3 | 33.7 | 82.4 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 27.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
