Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are too strong for the Clippers despite the return of Paul George

Paul George, back for the Clippers after injury, promises to be an interesting matchup against the Sixers, who are slowly returning to form in the East.

“PG13” also set the tone for his team in the first quarter, but it was Philadelphia that took off in the second quarter, thanks to the influence of Joel Embiid and the good charm of the underdogs around him. The Clippers also had a lot of turnovers, which the Sixers could have converted in a fast game, and Joel Embiid’s 3-pointer gave his team an 11-point lead (63-52) at halftime.

The script changed, but after returning from the locker room, Kawhi Leonard made baskets in his backyard. Ivica Zubac even allowed his team to take the lead for the first time in the match, followed by Terance Mann. Can the Sixers rock the momentum again?

Answer: yes. On the bench, Joel Embiid was the first Tyrese Maxey to be responsible for driving the Sixers back into the lead by dizzying his defenders, before the pivot returned to finish the job, especially next to Georges Niang, to take a decisive position, 11-0. Logical victory for Doc Rivers over his apprentice Tyronn Lue (120-110).

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Sixers personality. Capitalizing on Joel Embiid’s influence, Philadelphia set up a game with outsiders running around the Cameroon corner and charming. There is still room for improvement, but the Sixers have found their role and know what they need to do to hurt their opponents. It is no coincidence that they have won back to back and are currently in 3rd place in the Eastern conference.

– 3rd quarter missed pass. Philadelphia, which generally dominated the first half, almost lost the lead after the break. Blame it on Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid, who lost balls and forced the Clippers against the floor, while James Harden failed to set the sights.

– Zone vs. zone. The Sixers don’t like zone defense, but neither do the Clippers. Doc Rivers and Tyronn Lue therefore held up mirrors with colliding territories until each team’s shooters finally found a solution.

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid did his job, but it was off the bench that turned the game in the Sixers’ favor. He finished with 22 points and above all the best +/- of the match: +23!

✅ Joel Embiid. He can sometimes annoy with dilettante passes, but above all, he annoys opponents with a mixture of strength, technique and trickery. 41 points and 9 rebounds on 12/22 shooting. It’s his sixth straight game with 30-plus points, and the Sixers in particular have had some success.

✅ Kawhi Leonard. He almost single-handedly finished the game with 14 points in the third quarter. Always so robotic that he can take the shots he wants in his backyard, whether he’s facing PJ Tucker or not. Now it remains to find a collective to maximize all this.

✅⛔James Harden. He managed the store with 9 assists. On the other hand, he didn’t have a compass in sight, 0/4 was 1/6 at a distance. At least he didn’t shoot too hard and decided to take care of hitting (and hitting) shots on his more skilled teammates.

⛔ The Clippers bench. Two very complicated transitions for Los Angeles replacements. The first and second quarters, then the third and fourth quarters, each time allowed Philadelphia to go out and take control.

NEXT

LA Clippers (23-23): Nicolas Batum and his troupe are back-to-back in Salt Lake City (03:00)

Philadelphia (28-16): “road trip” continues in Portland, tomorrow night (04:00)