Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Joel Embiid’s tough season took another turn for the worse on Friday as Philadelphia’s star center exited early in the 76ers’ 121-107 NBA loss to Indiana after being struck in the face. The Cameroon-born big man, who won Olympic gold with the United States in Paris this year, was fighting for a rebound under the Pacers’ basket when he was inadvertently elbowed by Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin.
Embiid had 12 points with four rebounds and five assists before departing moments before halftime, and the Sixers said after the game he had been diagnosed with a sinus fracture and would be evaluated further over the weekend. Embiid was playing just his second game back after missing seven contests. He has played just six games this season as he battled a troublesome left knee and served a three-game suspension for an altercation with a journalist.
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The Pacers, fueled by 32 points and 11 assists from Tyrese Haliburton, led most of the way. Pascal Siakam added 23 points and eight rebounds, and Obi Toppin chipped in 20 points off the bench for Indiana. Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points to lead Philadelphia, who also saw rookie Jared McCain take a scary hit to the back of the head. McCain needed help from teammate Paul George to get to the free throw line before briefly exiting, but he cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game.
The league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from a loss to Miami with a 115-105 victory over the Washington Wizards, who suffered their 18th defeat in 19 games. Darius Garland scored 24 points, and Jarrett Allen added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who improved to 22-4 to bolster their lead over reigning champions Boston atop the Eastern Conference. Washington, led by 27 points from forward Bilal Coulibaly, kept it close and led by three early in the third quarter. Cleveland connected on just 39.6 percent of their shots from the field, but they out-shot Washington 28-9 from the free-throw line and parlayed 18 Wizards turnovers into 26 points.
Despite their stellar record, Allen said the Cavs need to “keep improving on the little things.” “I still think we have a long way to go to be the team that we want to be,” he said.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant scored 30 points in his return from injury to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Utah Jazz 134-126. Devin Booker scored 34 points to lead the Suns, who had lost all three games with Durant sidelined by a sprained left ankle.
– Timberwolves top Lakers –
Anthony Edwards scored 23 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 97-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without superstar LeBron James for a second straight game. Julius Randle scored 21 points, Jaden McDaniels added 18, and Rudy Gobert contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who beat the Lakers for the second time this month.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, was sidelined again by a sore left foot, but the 39-year-old has also been excused from team activities because of personal reasons, and coach JJ Redick said before Friday’s game he didn’t know when James would return. Anthony Davis carried the Lakers’ scoring load with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Austin Reaves returned from a five-game injury absence to score 18. But the Lakers, who coughed up 22 turnovers, never led.
The Memphis Grizzlies grabbed a fourth straight win, beating the Brooklyn Nets 135-119 behind 28 points and 10 assists from Ja Morant.
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