HOUSTON — Joel Embiid was irate when he pulled up for an early jumper against the Rockets. No matter that the shot dropped through the rim. The 76ers’ All-Star center believed he was fouled and let everybody know with a yell.
There would be plenty more opportunities for Embiid to feast at the line. He went 13-of-13 from the stripe as part of a 31-point effort, helping the Sixers cruise to a 111-91 win Monday night at the Toyota Center.
It was Embiid’s seventh consecutive 30-point outing, which coincides with his team’s current winning streak that has improved its record to 23-16. And though Embiid could not repeat the triple-double he racked up when he faced the Rockets one week ago, he was efficient (9-of-16 from the floor) and dominant against any defense the Rockets attempted to throw at him. He finished with eight rebounds and six assists, and paced a Sixers team that scored 56 points in the paint and 21 second-chance points thanks to a 48-38 rebounding advantage.
Embiid scored 17 of his points in the first quarter, matching a season-high for a single period. Nine of those points came at the free-throw line. His total reached 23 by halftime, including two more foul shots. With less than six minutes to play in the game, Embiid leaned back in his chair on the bench, legs crossed, as a fan behind him hollered, “I love you, Joel!” because his work was done for the night.
The Sixers’ lead ballooned to 20 points in the first half. But they could not fully shake Houston until late in the third quarter, when an Isaiah Joe three-pointer pushed the Sixers’ advantage to 83-66 with less than two minutes remaining in the period.
Point Furk and Point Powell
Furkan Korkmaz said Sunday that he is getting more comfortable as a point guard, a role he has needed to play more recently with Tyrese Maxey (health and safety protocols) and Shake Milton (back contusion) out of the lineup. Then, Seth Curry was a late scratch Monday because of left ankle soreness.
Initiating the offense Monday often led to the ball coming back to Korkmaz for good looks early. He scored all 12 of his points in his first 13 minutes with a mix of three-pointers and finishes at the basket, a skill that coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he did not realize Korkmaz had until he began coaching him.
Korkmaz made five of his first six shots and also totaled five of his six rebounds in that initial 13-minute outburst. He missed his final four shot attempts after that.
Two-way rookie Myles Powell was the backup point guard, compiling 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in a season-high 20 minutes.
Funky lineups
Following Friday’s win against San Antonio, Rivers said playing Danny Green and Matisse Thybulle at the same time “ain’t gonna happen a lot.”
But it was a necessity Monday, when the Sixers’ backcourt became even more shorthanded because of Curry’s injury.
The length of that lineup was present early, when Green and Thybulle got a block and deflection, respectively, in the same sequence against Jae’Sean Tate.
Thybulle caught fire in the third quarter, totaling all 10 of his points including a corner three-pointer and one-handed dunk to open the period. Green finished with five points and four rebounds. His first-quarter fast-break three-pointer gave the Sixers their first double-digit lead of the game and his put-back at the second-quarter buzzer pushed their advantage back to 12 at the break.
Because of that depleted roster, Rivers went with an all-bench lineup of Powell, Joe, Charlie Brown, Georges Niang, and Andre Drummond for a stretch that spanned the first and second quarters. The coach used a similar group to start the fourth, but replaced Powell with Korkmaz.
Drummond’s efficiency
When Embiid got his rest, Drummond was a more-than-suitable substitute. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists in 17 minutes for his sixth double-double of the season.
Drummond’s tip-in with less than a minute to play in the third quarter gave the Sixers a 91-72 lead heading to the final period.
