Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Paul George made triumphant returns Wednesday, combining for 63 points in the Sixers’ 157-137 NBA victory over the Chicago Bulls. Former NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid showed no sign of rust after missing 13 games with an oblique strain, scoring 35 points — including 15 of the Sixers’ first 19 as they seized control with a 38-point first quarter.
George, returning from a 25-game suspension for taking a medication that violated the league’s anti-drug program, took longer to warm up, scoring 23 of his 28 in the second half. George finished with six three-pointers and Embiid made all three of his from beyond the arc on an efficient 12-of-17 shooting performance. Embiid added six rebounds and seven assists, and the duo showed just how big a playoff threat the Sixers could be if both stay healthy.
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They’re seventh in the East, a fraction behind the Atlanta Hawks for sixth and the last direct entry spot to the playoffs. The Hawks, with 27 points apiece from CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, downed Eastern Conference leaders Detroit 130-129 in overtime. Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City also fell, their 12-game winning streak snapped by the Celtics in Boston. Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and Jayson Tatum added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who trailed by 13 in the first quarter.
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, making 10 of his 12 attempts from the field for the Thunder. He handed out eight assists but had little scoring support as center Chet Holmgren scored just 10 points and Jalen Williams added seven. “We were able to keep them off the free throw line and we were able to keep them out of transition,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “When you do those things, the game will just take care of itself.”
The Pistons, still without star Cade Cunningham as he recovers from a collapsed lung, stumbled at home. Jalen Duren scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who trailed by as many as 21 before forcing overtime. In a game that featured 13 lead changes, McCollum converted a three-point play midway through the extra session to put the Hawks ahead for good.
– Doncic leads Lakers –
The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their defeat in Detroit on Monday with a 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. Luka Doncic scored 43 points with six rebounds and seven assists, and LeBron James added a near triple-double of 23 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Austin Reaves chipped in 25 points. The Lakers led by as many as 29 points.
They were up by 23 early in the fourth quarter before the Pacers cut the deficit to nine. Two free throws apiece from James and Doncic and a dunk from Jake LaRavia pushed the lead back to double digits, before a last-gasp three-pointer from Indiana’s Obi Toppin. Lakers coach JJ Redick was delighted with his team’s performance in the last game of a six-game road trip against a Pacers team that plays with a “relentless” pace. “I thought our guys really did a lot of great things,” Redick said.
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