No James Harden, no problem for the Philadelphia 76ers. They took down the Indiana Pacers to win their eighth straight game and are right on the heels of the Boston Celtics for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid, of course, led the way for the Sixers while Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris stepped up with very good performances.
Embiid had extra responsibility on his plate with Harden sidelined due to injury management. He took it in stride, scoring with ease and making plays for his teammates while anchoring the defense. The Sixers superstar loves being a playmaker but said that he doesn't always have to be one because he plays with the best one in the league in Harden, according to Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I feel like, if I wanted to be a playmaker, I could be,” Embiid said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I don’t need to, because I’ve got the best playmaker in the league. In the games that he doesn’t play, I take on that role and it’s fun.”
Doc Rivers was complimentary of Embiid's ability to fill in as the playmaker with Harden out.
“I loved the way we moved the ball tonight,” the Sixers head coach told reporters after the game. “Joel, at times, was our point guard. He just let them come, moved the ball. He had six assists or whatever he had but he probably had 15 hockey assists where because of what they were trying to do led to the basket. And what was just terrific.”
Embiid ended the game with seven dimes and only one turnover while setting a franchise record with his ninth consecutive 30-burger. Rivers praised how his team moved the ball around while Embiid faced double teams. Maxey helped out with seven assists of his own but Embiid's ability to make those reads makes the Sixers very hard to stop.
Having such a great game allowed Joel Embiid to take the fourth quarter off, something he is very fond of doing, as he and the Sixers continue to dominate.
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