Joel Embiid leads Sixers to tight win over Clippers
FILE — Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers speaks with referee Brandon Adair #67 during overtime in a game against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center on March 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
Joel Embiid totaled 36 points and 14 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held on for a 106-103 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Furkan Korkmaz finished with 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting from 3-point range to help Philadelphia earn its fourth straight victory. Ben Simmons added 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Danny Green had 11 points and seven assists.
Paul George paced the Clippers with 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists, the fifth consecutive game with 30-plus points for the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week.
Patrick Patterson contributed 18 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which had its seven-game winning streak snapped. Marcus Morris Sr. added 15 points, Reggie Jackson had 13 and Rajon Rondo scored 10 with eight assists.
Los Angeles played without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his fourth consecutive game due to right foot soreness. Philadelphia played without former Clipper Tobias Harris (right knee soreness), Seth Curry (left hip flexor tightness) and Dwight Howard (left knee soreness).
Joel Embiid and Paul George DUEL in Philly, @sixers come out on top! 🔥@JoelEmbiid: 36 PTS, 14 REB@Yg_Trece: 37 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST pic.twitter.com/wfetvXAMaI
— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2021
The Sixers took over the game early, jumping out to a 20-3 lead. However, the Clippers cut Philadelphia’s edge to 11 points by the end of the first quarter.
Behind the shooting of George (14 of 29 for the game), the Clippers cut Philadelphia’s advantage to three points with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
The Clippers continued to stay close in the fourth quarter and took the lead for the first time all night on a Patrick Patterson 3-pointer with 7:14 left that produced a 91-90 advantage.
The lead changed hands twice more before Shake Milton’s 3-pointer with 3:38 to go put Philadelphia up 97-94, and the Sixers never trailed again. The Clippers had a chance tie at the end, but Morris’ 3-point attempt bounced hard off the front of the rim.
Philadelphia controlled the game inside. The Sixers finished with a 46-43 rebound advantage, and they led the Clippers 21-6 in second-chance points and 34-28 in paint points.
The Clippers stayed close by shooting 19 of 39 (48.7 percent) from the 3-point arc.
