The Sixers, led by Embiid, who scored 50 points, maintain their hopes of advancing to the Conference semifinals after beating the Knicks 125-114 (2-1 in the tie in favor of the New Yorkers). For their part, the Lakers are on the verge of elimination after falling in Los Angeles against the Nuggets by 105-112. The Angelenos have had eleven consecutive losses against the Colorado team, so a comeback seems practically impossible.
Before the game, ESPN journalist Adrian Wojnarowski explained that Embiid had been treated during the week for mild Bell’s Palsy, a disease that partially paralyzes his face. Even so, the Cameroonian player, who will represent the United States at the Paris Games, played a sensational game to get the Sixers into the playoffs, after two setbacks in New York.
Last season’s NBA MVP scored 50 points, especially from personal goals, as he scored 19 points from free throws. However, Embiid also hit two, with an 8 of 12, and three, since he made 5 of the 7 triples he launched. Numbers that, in addition to giving the Sixers the victory, had not been seen in the playoffs in Philadelphia since 2003, when Allen Iverson also reached that number of points.
The Cameroonian player, who refused to play for France after promising Macron that he would play in the Games with the Blues, began somewhat bewildered. The referees even forgave him for his expulsion after grabbing Mitchell Robinson from the ground when the Knicks player was about to score.
As the minutes passed, the one from Yaoundé calmed down. In the third quarter, the Sixers decided the game with a run of 43-27. Until then the Knicks had competed thanks to Jalen Brunson, the only player capable of overshadowing Embiid’s performance. The player from the New York team, who scored 39 points, is going from less to more in the tie.
For their part, the Nuggets continue to sink the Lakers. In the last eleven duels between them, eleven victories for Denver, who want to repeat the 4-0 they gave the Angelenos last season.
The score (105-112) does not do justice to the superiority that was seen on the court. Colorado’s men did not make an appearance in the first quarter, but, from then on, Michael Malone’s men passed over the Lakers. In addition to Jokic, with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Murray, with 22 points, Aaron Gordon unexpectedly shone in the current NBA champion, who destroyed the Angelenos in the paint, with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The opposite happened with the Lakers. His two stars are abandoned to their fate, as they once again scored half of their team’s points. Davis, 33 points and 15 rebounds, while LeBron scored 26 scores. The two strongholds only received help from Austin Reaves, although most of his 22 points came at the end, with the game already decided. D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ third sword, had a mediocre duel, with 0 points on seven field goals.
The Angelenos need the intervention of the secondary teams to, at least, win a match in the playoffs. In the Nuggets, however, everything is joy, since they are one and a half feet away from the Conference semifinals. The current NBA champions want to reign again.