The Philadelphia 76ers (28-16) and the Los Angeles Clippers (23-23) squared off in LA. After picking up a win in Crypto.com Arena on Sunday against its purple-and-gold occupants, the Sixers won by a score of 120-108 as Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard each put on a show.

Let's break down the Sixers' win over the Clippers.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 41 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 12-22 FG shooting

Embiid (who ditched his new hairstyle) got the ball rolling for the Sixers, as he usually does, with 13 points in the first quarter and 15 in the second quarter. Although he had some sloppy hands that ruined some easy scoring opportunities, LA didn't have any answers for him. He nailed jumpers, drew fouls, got a lot of easy close shots and also made plenty of key defensive plays. It was another great performance from one of the leading MVP candidates.

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 7-12 FG shooting

Coming off the bench yet again, Maxey did an impressive job providing an offensive spark as a scorer and passer. His efficient scoring was extra crucial in the fourth quarter when he got hot from deep and helped Philly pull away. Despite not having Embiid or Harden to lean on for a good amount of his minutes, he looked comfortable as the sixth man.

Tobias Harris: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 8-12 FG shooting

Harris was active and aggressive on both sides of the ball. His face-up and back-to-the-basket games were working very well as he hit tough jumper after tough jumper. On defense, he was solid against the Clippers' star forwards and was extremely disruptive. He did have some moments where he committed too hard on a rotation, leading to quite a few fouls, but he was undoubtedly a big positive for the Sixers. Tragically, he came just one steal shy of setting a new career high.

James Harden: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1-6 FG shooting

Harden set his career high in assists the last time the Sixers faced the Clippers. This time around, he didn't stuff the stat sheet nearly as much and did not have a particularly good game. His playmaking was still beneficial, especially for Embiid, but he had a brutal night as a scorer.

Clippers player notes:

Kawhi Leonard: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 10-20 FG shooting

Leonard got into the paint often with his crafty, change-of-pace dribbling. He said hello to his former teammate, Montrezl Harrell, by going right by him for a slam dunk in the first quarter. The star forward made shots from everywhere, even with a hand in his face, all night. He went scoreless in the fourth quarter, though, while LA lost momentum and the contest.

Paul George: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-11 FG shooting

George had the hot hand to start off for LA but then let Leonard take the reigns. Although he scored only six points across the final three quarters, he was solid overall following a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury.

Game notes:

1st half

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Luka Doncic in front looking serious. Need the Mavericks and Clippers logos in background.

Joey Mistretta ·

Mavericks' Daniel Gafford in front looking serious. Mavericks' Daniel Gafford dunking a basketball in background.

Joey Mistretta ·

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Mavs

Tomer Azarly ·

  • Doc Rivers went with the Harden-Melton-Harris-Tucker-Embiid starting lineup for the second straight night as he looks to work with three different lineup combinations. Maxey was the first sub of the game, coming in for Melton.
  • Embiid and George traded buckets early, each scoring seven of their teams' first 11 points of the night. Neither team's defense was particularly crisp to start.
  • Maxey got the second unit rolling to start the second quarter with the help of Harris, a former Clipper, and the ultimate Clipper killer Shake Milton. Although the group surrendered some offensive boards, they made some good defensive plays and pushed the Philly lead to 14 points. Roughly 14 minutes into the game, Harris had accumulated four steals.
  • Similar to what happened in their previous matchup, the Clippers started getting and hitting open shots in the second quarter. The Sixers buckled down and increased their lead thanks to two fast-break buckets, one of which was started by a Harris steal and the other of which was ended by a Harris triple.
  • Philly's defense got much better as the game went on. They forced a lot of steals by being in the passing lanes at the right times and made enough of their subsequent transition opportunities to go into halftime with a 63-52 lead. Also, Embiid did this:

2nd half

  • Leonard dragged the Clippers back into it with some hot shooting to begin the second half. Tucker did a decent job sizing him up, as he had done in the first half, but he just couldn't knock him off his rhythm. George fed his teammates and got his own good looks, too, as LA made it a one-point game in just over four minutes.
  • The Clippers threw some double-teams at Embiid when he had the ball in the high post but, too often, the Sixers didn't take advantage. The ball movement died down and the big fella didn't try to be a hero, so the tactic proved to be effective. When Embiid served as a roller/popper or attacked quickly enough before the double-team came, Philly found success.
  • LA secured its first lead of the night near the end of the third quarter thanks to some scoring from Terrence Mann and Ivica Zubac, including two buckets that Embiid defended. Kawhi kept doing his thing, too. Georges Niang and Maxey hit some much-needed shots to keep it close heading into the fourth quarter.
  • Maxey kept up his stellar scoring with three triples to start the final frame. That kind of instant firepower is what makes him such an appealing option to have off the bench.
  • Thanks to Maxey heating up, he got Leonard put on him. This slowed him down in the half-court but it also meant Harden and Embiid didn't have to deal with him as much as they went to work on offense. When Embiid checked in, he helped turn a six-point lead into a 17-point lead. The Clippers didn't score for over five minutes of game time in the fourth quarter, most of which came when Embiid was in.
  • The Sixers and Clippers emptied their benches with several minutes left in the game. For the first time in this road trip, the game didn't come down to the final play. With the Brooklyn Nets losing to the San Antonio Spurs, the Sixers are now the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Random thoughts:

  • Zubac played really well but his performance will be most fondly remembered by his apparent airball on a dunk attempt.
  • I think that Harden's top priority is winning a championship and his second is linking up with Embiid for as many between-the-leg passes on fast breaks as possible. Both goals are very much worth striving for.
  • Georges Niang has never been silent after hitting a three and I absolutely love it.

The Sixers will travel north for the next stop on their road trip and face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.