Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid can do it all. The Sixers All-Star center is off to a hot start to the 2019 postseason and looks dominant on both sides of the ball.
In their second round matchup, the Sixers are tied with the Toronto Raptors at a game apiece. The two faced off for a pivotal Game 3 on Thursday night and Embiid came ready to play.
Early in the first quarter, he made his presence known.
EMBIID BLOCK ➡️ TOBIAS TRIPLE!
7 early PTS for Joel on @ESPNNBA#PhilaUnite #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/lIoFOnjHi6
— NBA (@NBA) May 3, 2019
Embiid blocked Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard's lay-up attempt and the ball deflected into Sixers teammate Tobias Harris's hands. He took it down the court and Philadelphia went to work. Harris sent it to forward Jimmy Butler, who returned it to Embiid at the top of the key. The center found Harris open in the corner and he drained the easy 3-pointer.
When the Sixers are moving the ball that well, they are tough to beat. As usual, Embiid was right in the middle of the play, tallying the block and the assist. When he is playing tough basketball on both sides of the court, he is a force to be reckoned with.
In the regular season, Embiid averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists — all career highs. The two-time All-Star also tallied 122 blocks on the year. At only 25, Embiid looks like he's getting even better.
The Sixers will need Embiid to play at the top of his game. Toronto is a difficult opponent with many stars of their own. But if Philly can keep making plays like this, they might just be headed for a championship.
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