Joel Embiid hobbled to the locker room in the first half Friday with a knee scare and then finished a crucial win over the Orlando Magic to keep the Philadelphia 76ers alive in their bid to avoid the play-in tournament.
Embiid and the Sixers get their chance to claim a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon when they host the Brooklyn Nets in the regular season finale.
The 76ers (46-35) are currently seventh in the East behind the fifth-place Magic and sixth-place Indiana Pacers, who sport identical 46-35 records but have the advantage in a three-way tiebreaker. Philadelphia is just one game ahead of the Miami Heat.
The Pacers play at home Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks, who are locked into 10th place and the final play-in spot. The Magic will host the Milwaukee Bucks, who are hoping to cement the No. 2 seed in the East.
Philadelphia needs a win and a loss by either Indiana or Orlando to move out of the play-in round.
Philadelphia is 31-8 with Embiid in the lineup. Before winning the six games he has appeared in since returning from a left knee injury, they were 11-18 during his absence that was caused by an injury Jan. 30 at Golden State.
Embiid finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double and third consecutive 30-point game in a 125-113 victory over the Magic, Philadelphia’s seventh straight win. He landed awkwardly on his left knee after converting a layup in the first half but was cleared to return.
“They assessed him at halftime and there was no swelling and no damage,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said. “None of that kind of stuff. He wanted to go out and try it in the second half and he was fine.”
Also fine was Tyrese Maxey, who scored 11 of his 28 in the fourth quarter after providing stellar play during Embiid’s lengthy absence.
“When (Embiid) was out, it was bad of course. But it also was a blessing in disguise because it helped me grow up a little bit and to grow into this role,” Maxey said.
The Nets (32-49) were 1 1/2 games behind the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks after Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder scored 20 apiece in their 112-107 win over the Sixers in Brooklyn on March 5.
Since that meeting, they are 7-12 in their past 19 games. The Nets are 6-4 in their past 10 following a six-game losing streak that all but eliminated them from postseason contention.
Brooklyn is attempting to avoid its first 50-loss season since going 28-54 in 2017-18 but will likely do so with a short-handed roster.
Schroder, Finney-Smith, Cameron Johnson and Dennis Smith Jr. missed Friday’s 111-107 loss to the New York Knicks due to injuries, and Mikal Bridges was rested in the fourth quarter.
With four rotation players missing, Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 41 points and six assists.
“That’s the Cam Thomas we want,” Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie said of Thomas, who is averaging 27.1 points in his past 17 games. “Fearless, playing good defense at times and just putting it all out on the line. He could’ve easily packed it in but he’s not that, you know? He’s out there playing every minute for us.”
Brooklyn has won two of three games this season against Philadelphia, including a 112-107 home win in the most recent meeting on March 5.
–Field Level Media
