Some sports analysts predicted the Philadelphia 76ers had a chance at a run in the playoffs, going as far as putting them in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even when Joel Embiid hurt, some put them in the NBA Finals after Game 1 when Ben Simmons went off. Then they lost Game 2 to the Miami Heat.
Embiid vented his frustration on social media and said he was “sick of being babied” and the organization was pressured to respond. They did so by giving him the chance to play in Game 3 and not risk losing another game to go down in the series.
And they risk paid off because they won.
The Phantom of the Process was a defensive presence in the post, he was dishing out assists and contributed on offense massively by scoring a team-high 23 points in his postseason debut. The script couldn’t have been written any better. It was the boost the 76ers needed to possibly help them win the series early.
Miami had a better chance to steal some wins without Joel, but it’s going to be harder with him in the lineup while gaining more confidence with each game.
Simmons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists a second in command, and Dario Saric contributed with 21 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Marco Belinelli had 21 points off the bench to help the squad in the win as well.
Game 4 of their matchup will be played on Saturday morning at 11:30 EST.