The Philadelphia 76ers are back in business in the NBA playoffs now that Joel Embiid is. In what was as close to a do-or-die game as you could get (aside from actual elimination games), the Sixers won 99-79. Despite a great game from Jimmy Butler, the Sixers clamped down on Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo and the rest of the Heat.

Embiid, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the contest after returning from head injuries, said that the injuries he has sustained over the years motivate him to win. The Sixers star had another source of motivation entering Game 3. He wanted to stop Adebayo.

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Adebayo dominated the first two games of the series, recording 24 points in Game 1 and 23 points in Game 2. He and the Heat took advantage of DeAndre Jordan's declining abilities and got Adebayo lots of looks inside. They didn't have the same luxury against one of the best defenders in the league.

Embiid showed that he was serious about wanting to slow Adebayo down. He had just nine points on 2-9 shooting with more fouls (five) and as many turnovers (three) as he did rebounds. The Sixers owned the boards with their superstar big man back in action.

The Heat will have to find out how to overcome Embiid's size in order to advance in the NBA playoffs. They are still up 2-1 but can't allow themselves to get beaten that badly on the road. The Bam Adebayo-Joel Embiid matchup could be a huge problem for them, even with Adebayo's talent.