Joel Embiid scored 30 points to lead the resurgent Philadelphia 76ers to a fourth straight victory with a 116-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid returned from a two-month injury Tuesday to help the Sixers topple the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 30-year-old forward followed that up with a 29-point performance in Thursday’s win at Miami, then led the rout of Memphis on the road Saturday.
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Against Memphis, the Sixers quickly got into rhythm, leading from the start of the first quarter to earn a wire-to-wire victory.
Embiid, who rested most of the fourth quarter with victory assured, finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
The victory allowed Philadelphia to improve its record to 43-35 to remain eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Before Embiid’s injury in January, the Sixers were well placed in the upper reaches of the standings, firmly on track for an automatic playoff berth.
However, in Embiid’s absence, the Sixers have slipped in the standings and are now in line to contend until the play-in tournament after the conclusion of the regular season on April 14.
Lakers and Nuggets win
In other games Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers earned their fourth straight victory with an impressive 116-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit in third place in the East.
Point guard D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers scorers with 28 points while LeBron James scored 24 and Anthony Davis had 22 points with 13 rebounds.
The Lakers’ performance is further proof that head coach Darvin Ham’s team is in top form at the right time of the season.
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The Lakers have now won nine of their last 10 games and still have a chance to claw their way into automatic playoff spots.
As things stand, the Lakers are eighth in the West with a 45-33 record, just behind seventh-place New Orleans (45-32) and Phoenix, which sits in sixth playoff spot with a record of 46-31.
Lakers coach Ham said his team was concerned with the quality of its performance rather than dwelling on its place in the playoff picture.
“We tell ourselves every day: Whether it’s a game day or a non-game day, take care of us, take care of us,” Ham said.
“Everything else will work itself out and we’ll fall where we’re supposed to fall.
“But the key is we play at a high level on both sides of the ball. You saw it on the defensive end tonight; When we take care of the ball, we’re a pretty tough team to beat. »
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets returned to the top of the Western Conference with a 142-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Nikola Jokic recorded his 25th triple-double of the season with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Denver is locked in a tight battle atop the West for the conference’s No. 1 seed. The Nuggets lead the standings at 54-24, just a half-game ahead of second-place Minnesota at 53-24. Oklahoma City is third with a 52-25 record.
Elsewhere on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets overturned a 19-point second-quarter deficit to deny Detroit what would have been just their 14th win of the season.
Brooklyn cruised to a 113-103 victory thanks to a fourth-quarter blitz that saw them outscore the Pistons, 38-20.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
Location: United States of America (USA)
first publication: April 7, 2024, 11:34 AM IST
