Joel Embiid tied his career high with 50 points to go along with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots while leading the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 123-110 on Wednesday.
Embiid shot 17 of 23 from the field and 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. It was Embiid’s 17th career game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.
Tobias Harris added 21 points, Tyrese Maxey contributed 14 and Georges Niang had 10 for the Sixers.
Mo Bamba hit 7 of 8 3-point attempts, scored a career-high 32 points and blocked three shots before fouling out for the Magic.
Chuma Okeke added 18 points, Jalen Suggs chipped in with 14 and Cole Anthony had 13 for the Magic. Franz Wagner finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Bamba’s fifth 3-pointer gave the Magic a 46-44 lead with 4:09 left in the second quarter. Bamba soon grabbed an offensive rebound and scored for a four-point advantage.
The Magic led 57-47 at halftime thanks in large part to Bamba’s seven treys and 28 points.
Embiid kept the Sixers close with 24 first-half points, 20 of which came in the opening quarter.
The Sixers came out aggressive in the third and regained the lead, 64-63, after Maxey’s 3-pointer with 7:55 remaining.
Embiid continued his dominance with a drive to the basket and nifty reverse layup for a 76-70 advantage with 5:23 to go.
Suggs dropped in a short jumper with 1:25 remaining and the Magic closed within 86-80.
Isaiah Joe responded with a trey for the Sixers on their next possession.
Embiid scored 23 in the third and Philadelphia held a 94-80 advantage at the end of the quarter.
The Sixers quickly pulled out to a 103-84 lead early in the fourth after an Andre Drummond three-point play.
Orlando began to get visibly frustrated and Robin Lopez was whistled for a technical foul when the margin was 20 with 8:36 to go.
With the game well decided, Embiid came back in with 7:23 left. After knocking down 3 of 4 free throws, he exited with 50 points.
–Field Level Media