NBA: Embiid, Paul shine as Sixers, Suns clinch series

The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns booked their place in the NBA playoff conference semi-finals on Thursday after wrapping up series-clinching victories in contrasting fashion.

In Toronto, Joel Embiid scored 33 points in a 132-97 Sixers blowout over the Raptors to seal a 4-2 series victory that sets up a showdown with top seeds Miami.

Western Conference top-seeds Phoenix, meanwhile, were pushed all the way by a gutsy New Orleans Pelicans team before completing a nerve-jangling 115-109 win in the Big Easy.

Veteran Chris Paul led Phoenix through a bruising battle with 33 points -- including a perfect 14-from-14 from the field -- while Deandre Ayton added 22 points and Mikal Bridges 18. 

The Suns' 4-2 series win sees them advance to a semi-final meeting against the winner of the Dallas-Utah series. The Mavericks can clinch later Thursday with victory over the Jazz in Salt Lake City.

It marked an emotional return to New Orleans for 12-time NBA All-Star Paul, who began his professional career in the city with six seasons for the then New Orleans Hornets.

"I always say this city raised me," Paul said afterwards. "It's nice to do it here in New Orleans...It's home for me. I root for this team when I'm not playing against them. So to beat them was nice."

The Suns were also buoyed by the return from injury of Devin Booker, whose 13-point haul included a crucial three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to edge Phoenix ahead.

"Having Book back was everything," Paul added. "Down the stretch they started to blitz and they forgot we had Devin Booker standing over there on the wing."

Booker, meanwhile, paid tribute to the performance of the 36-year-old Paul.

"I've been watching him since I was eight years old," Booker said of Paul. "It doesn't surprise me. 

"The most surprising thing is after the games we dropped, the disrespect that was put on his name. He's a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, arguably the GOAT in his position. And he deserves those flowers."

The Suns will play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semi-finals. 

The Mavericks dug deep to defeat Utah, 98-96, on the road in Salt Lake City to complete a 4-2 series win over the Jazz.

Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson scored 24 points apiece as Dallas fought back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit for a gutsy win. 

Utah's Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a wide-open three to win the game on the buzzer as Dallas escaped with victory.

Embiid dominant

Earlier in Toronto, the Sixers made sure there was no chance of a game seven decider as they thrashed the Raptors.

Embiid, who has been bothered by torn ligaments in his thumb in recent games, delivered a dominant display which also included 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

MVP candidate Embiid was given backing by Tyrese Maxey with 25 points while James Harden also came up big with 22 points, 15 assists and six rebounds.

It was a welcome return to form for the Sixers, who had looked vulnerable after losing games four and five to Toronto after earlier leading the series 3-0.

"We had a great practice yesterday and we needed that," said Embiid, who said the Sixers had been motivated by their back-to-back losses.

"It was a blessing in disguise to lose those two games, because that wasn't us," he said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to. We were extremely sloppy.

"Tonight we wanted to come in here and play with more intensity. Especially me. I was really bad last game, defensively. I wanted to play with a lot of energy and be physical."

Maxey meanwhile said the Sixers had been ready for a "fight."

"Whether we get hit in the mouth we get back up and keep fighting, and that's what we did tonight," he said.

"Joel (Embiid) told me on the plane on the way up here 'We lose if we don't be aggressive.' And that's what I tried to do."

The Sixers edged into a 62-61 lead at halftime after two hard-fought opening quarters.

But Philadelphia erupted after the break to outscore Toronto 37-17 in the third quarter and effectively ice the contest.

The Sixers kept the hammer down in the fourth quarter, never giving Toronto any kind of opportunity to cut into Philadelphia's double-digit lead.

Tobias Harris added 19 points for Philadelphia, while Danny Green also posted a double digit total with 12 points.

Chris Boucher led the Raptors scoring with 25 points off the bench while Pascal Siakam added 24.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Embiid, Harris stop Sixers rot as Hornets routed

NEW YORK -- Joel Embiid scored 29 points as the Philadelphia 76ers halted their three-game losing streak with an emphatic 144-114 rout of the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

The Sixers had slumped to defeats against the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and lowly Detroit Pistons heading into Saturday's early home game at the Wells Fargo Center.

But Embiid and a balanced Sixers offense were in no mood to concede a fourth straight loss against a Charlotte team in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers held a narrow 58-53 lead at half-time but pulled away with a 45-point third-quarter performance before pouring in 41 points in the fourth quarter to seal a crushing win.

Embiid finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while Tobias Harris had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Tyrese Maxey added 19 points while James Harden finished with 12 points and 13 assists.

The Sixers improved to 47-30 with the victory to remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, within touching distance of a playoff place.

Miles Bridges led the Charlotte scoring with 20 points, with P.J. Washington adding 14 and point guard LaMelo Ball 13.

"That was a great game for us, coming back off a disappointing loss in Detroit," the Sixers' Harris said afterwards. 

"Just being able to push the pace today and get going was big for us."

Harris said the Sixers had been determined to start strongly after half-time following recent poor performances in the third quarter.

"We haven't had the greatest of starts in the third quarter in the last few games, so that was an emphasis for us - we had a lot of energy in that third quarter," he said.

The Sixers can clinch a playoff place on Sunday with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated the already-eliminated New York Knicks 119-101 in Saturday's other early game.

The Cavaliers are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference on 43-35, just outside the top six automatic playoff places.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Joel Embiid outduels DeMar DeRozan as 76ers beat Bulls

Joel Embiid had 40 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the host Chicago Bulls 119-108 on Sunday.

It was the seventh game that Embiid scored at least 40 points this season.

Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey added 16 and Seth Curry contributed 12 for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and Javonte Green had 17.

The Bulls played without several key injured players -- Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Coby White.

The Sixers have won all three meetings against the Bulls thus far this season.

The Sixers bolted to a 51-36 lead after Embiid dropped in two free throws with 5:19 left in the second quarter.

DeRozan completed a three-point play with 1:49 remaining as the Bulls closed within 53-46.

Embiid hit a late 3-pointer, finishing the half with 22 points, and the Sixers led 61-52 at halftime. DeRozan kept the Bulls close with 26 on 10-of-15 shooting.

After the Bulls closed within five early in the third, Curry and Maxey each connected on a trey and the Sixers went ahead 67-56.

The Bulls cut the deficit to 81-75 with 4:23 to go in the third after a 3-pointer by Vucevic. Philadelphia led 89-81 at the end of the third.

Furkan Korkmaz hit a jumper, Danny Green followed with a trey and Harris scored on back-to-back trips to open the fourth as the Sixers took a 98-81 lead.

Matt Thomas came back with a 20-foot jumper for the Bulls to end a 9-0 run. The Bulls eventually countered with a 13-0 stretch of their own to get within 98-94 with 8:06 remaining after another jumper by DeRozan.

Embiid threw down a dunk with 6:03 left and Philadelphia held a 109-100 advantage.

Harris essentially sealed the win when he drove to the basket and scored for a 116-106 lead with 2:01 to go.

-reuters

76ers' Embiid fined for attack on referees

NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association slapped Joel Embiid with a $25,000 fine on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) after the Philadelphia 76er player openly criticized the referees following a loss to the Boston Celtics.

Embiid was wrapping up a post-game news conference with reporters after a 112-109 defeat on Tuesday night when he leaned into the microphone, yelled a profanity and said the referees "suck."

The league responded by fining Embiid for "public criticism of the officiating which included use of inappropriate language".


Embiid's outburst was apparently the result of not getting a foul call in his favor in the final minute of the Celtics' game.

He finished the game with 23 points and 14 rebounds after shooting just nine-of-22 from the field.

Embiid's discipline is just the latest in a series of recent fines for criticism of NBA referees.

Detroit's Blake Griffin and Cleveland's JR Smith were both fined $15,000 each last month for "verbal abuse of officials" while Rudy Gobert of Utah was fined $15,000 in December for criticizing the referees.

source: philstar.com