LDN - Sports

Sixers edge Pacers in OT for 1st win

[November 12, 2016] PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers' rookie center, has lofty goals for himself.

"I want to be the best player, and every time I step on the court I think I'm the best player," he said.

He was the best player when it mattered most Friday night, scoring a season-high 25 points to help the Sixers win their first game of the season 109-105 over the Indiana Pacers in overtime.

Embiid converted the go-ahead three-point play with 55.1 seconds left in the extra period for Philadelphia (1-7). While he missed 12 of 18 shots from the floor in the game, he was 12-for-14 at the foul line, and 14 of his points came in the final 4:05 of regulation and overtime.

"If the team needs me to do that kind of stuff I think I've still got a long way to go," Embiid said, "but I can do those type of things."

Sixers fans, weary of the team's horrid play the last three-plus seasons, have embraced Embiid. Every time he goes to the foul line they chant "MVP" or "Trust the process," the latter a phrase referring to the club's endless rebuilding.

Embiid, in fact, has taken to calling himself "The Process." He was the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, but has missed the last two seasons while recovering from a pair of foot surgeries.

The Sixers are limiting him to 24 minutes a night as a precaution, but he leads the team in scoring at 18.8 points a night.

"He is as competitive as anybody I've ever coached," coach Brett Brown said. "He really wants to win and he wants the responsibility to make that happen. He is inherently confident."

Indiana forward Paul George hit a jumper with 1:12 left in overtime to give the Pacers a 105-104 lead, but on the Sixers' next possession, Embiid powered to the basket to score from the left block as he was fouled by Lavoy Allen. His free throw put Philadelphia in front 107-105.

George missed on Indiana's next trip. Embiid also came up short on a jumper but recovered the loose ball and was fouled by C.J. Miles. He connected twice at the line to salt the game away.

"We all understand there's a long way to go, but we got our first win and the (locker) room feels great about themselves," Brown said. "And I'm very happy for them."

Ersan Ilyasova added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which was the NBA's last winless team. The Sixers also snapped a string of 44 straight October/November defeats dating to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 22, 2013.

In addition, Philadelphia claimed a split of a home-and-home set with Indiana. The Pacers beat the Sixers 122-115, also in overtime, on Wednesday night.

Nik Stauskas also scored 14 points and Richaun Holmes collected eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Sixers.

George, who sprained his left thumb in the first half, scored 26 points to top Indiana. Monta Ellis added 19 off the bench.

Philadelphia, down 90-84 with 5:22 left in regulation, rattled off 16 of the next 21 points, nine of those by Embiid, to go up 100-95 with 25.4 seconds remaining. Ilyasova also contributed a four-point play to that flurry.

Jeff Teague's three-point play with 22 seconds left sliced Indiana's deficit to two, and Teague then stole the ball from Sergio Rodriguez. George, fouled by Gerald Henderson, made two free throws with 2.8 seconds to go, knotting the score 100-100.

Brown lifted Embiid at that point, as he was at his 24-minute limit. The Sixers coach reinserted his young center with 1:57 left in the extra period, however.

[to top of second column]

76ers forward Richaun Holmes (22) drives to the net during the third quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 109-105 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

"I thought I wasn't going to play anymore," Embiid said. "I was kind of yelling at them to let me play and crying a little bit. ... Not yelling, just telling them to let me play."

Brown seemed only too happy to relent.

"We did cheat a little bit," he said.

George sprained a thumb late in the first quarter but returned at the end of a 23-8 Indiana run early in the second. Ellis notched six points in that flurry, which enabled the Pacers to go up 43-29.

Philadelphia scored 22 of the half's 31 points to cut the gap to 52-51. Dario Saric, T.J. McConnell, Rodriguez and Stauskas all drilled 3-pointers during that stretch.

Miles led the Pacers with nine first-half points, and Ilyasova and Henderson paced the Sixers with eight.

Stauskas crammed 10 of his points into the final 4:20 of the third quarter, helping Philadelphia move from a one-point deficit to a 76-69 lead. George answered with 11 in the final 3:07, including a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 0.7 of a second left to trim the Sixers' lead to 76-72.

George and Ellis each contributed four points in a 10-0 Indiana run, giving the Pacers a 90-84 lead with 5:22 left in regulation.

"We executed in our last game down the stretch," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "They executed tonight. ... They won the hustle game. Our offense wasn't sharp down the stretch. The things we need to do to win a ballgame, we didn't do."

NOTES: Philadelphia C Joel Embiid, who did not play in Wednesday's overtime loss to Indiana, is also expected to be held out of Saturday's game in Atlanta. Embiid, who missed two seasons following a pair of foot surgeries, will continue to be limited to 24 minutes a game until at least Christmas. ... Sixers C Jahlil Okafor, recovering from knee surgery, is on the same minutes restriction as Embiid. "Sports science has a significant, significant voice that I listen to," coach Brett Brown said, "because it's borne out of a lot of smart people that synthesize notes, come and deliver a thoughtful plan that ultimately has the player's health most at the forefront. As a coach, it is challenging, it is frustrating but it is just the realities of this team." ... Indiana's bench began the night averaging 33.4 points a game, 21st in the NBA. "We're searching to really get an identity with our bench," coach Nate McMillan said.

Back to top