File – Joel MBD # 21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the third quarter against Charlotte Hornet at the Wells Fargo Center on April 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Navachuku / Getty Images / AFP
Joel Mbeid added 41 points to his 14-of-17 shooting and a season-high 20 rebound in his MVP argument on Saturday afternoon, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-120 win over the visiting Indiana pacers.
Philadelphia started the heat outside the embedded gate, scoring the first six points of the game. He went to halftime with a double-double and finished with the third 40/20 game of his career, his first since August 1, 2020 – also against Indiana. He added four assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
Philadelphia (50-31) has 22 points and 14 assists from James Harden, while Tobias Harris and Tyres Maxi have 18 points each. Danny Green added 15 points and four 3-pointers.
3 Joel Embed ERUPTED for a 41 point double-double Sixer Win
41 PTS | 20 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL
I Embiid got 41+ points in 3 of his last 4 games! pic.twitter.com/RdftVXyCFA
– NBA (BANBA) April 9, 2022
Despite falling behind for all but a brief moment in the first quarter, Indiana (25-56) struggled throughout.
Oshai Briset led the seven pacers in double figures with 20 points, including a 3-for-5 shooting from a 3-point range. Tyrese Haliburton added 19 points and nine assists, Isaiah Jackson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, the latter matched Brisket at the height of a team. Former Sixer TJ McConnell had 12 points and six assists.
Indiana trailed by 21 points before closing the fourth quarter deficit at 106-98.
However, a sequence where MBD scored on a floater and 3-pointers – both set by Harden Assist – and Green converted a four-point game after being fouled in a successful 3-point attempt, pushed the Philadelphia lead to 115. 100 points in less than a minute.
The Sixers cruise from there to ensure a 50-win season and keep their hopes of climbing from No. 4 in the pre-conference. Philadelphia shares the same record as Boston and is one game behind Milwaukee (51-30) for the No. 2 seed.
With Philadelphia hosting Detroit, Memphis visiting Celtics and Cleveland playing boxing, all three teams will end the regular season on Sunday.
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