Joel Embiid started it, and Paul George finished it: a 157-point inferno, the Philadelphia 76ers’ highest single-game scoring output since they put up 159 against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 15, 1970.
Embiid and George both returned to the floor Wednesday and combined for 63 points — the most they’ve amassed together in one contest — in a 157-137 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
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Embiid was back after missing the previous 13 games with a right oblique strain. George was in the fold again after serving a 25-game suspension without pay for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.
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Embiid accounted for 12 of Philadelphia’s first 14 points and was singlehandedly outscoring the Bulls midway through the opening frame. He stacked 23 first-half points and closed with 35. Meanwhile, 13 of George’s 28 points came in the fourth quarter.
It took George a bit to shake off the rust he expected in the wake of a lengthy midseason absence that stemmed from him taking a banned substance to accommodate for what he described Tuesday as a mental health issue related to the pressure of the physical limitations he was facing at the time.
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George went a mere 2-of-10 from the field in the first half. He ended his scoring drought by using a jab step to get by Giddey on a baseline drive, which set up a shot at the rim.
He was in search of his jumper most of the opening two quarters, though.
The nine-time All-Star forward finally hit a 3-pointer before halftime. Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe located George on the right wing, and the 35-year-old knocked down a much-needed triple.
Edgecombe came into the matchup having scored at least 35 points in two of his past three outings. He wound up with 22 against the Bulls. He and Embiid combined for 26 in the first quarter, matching Chicago’s total scoring output in that frame.
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Embiid wasn’t just shooting the ball well. He also made an impact on the defensive end, notably rejecting former Sixers teammate Guerschon Yabusele in the second quarter. Plus, the seven-time All-Star center dished out seven assists, one of which arrived in the form of a one-handed, one-timed pass that teed up Edgecombe for one of his four 3s. That highlight-reel play followed another in the third quarter. Moments earlier, George lofted a pass to Embiid in the post, and he turned and threw down a one-handed dunk over 6-foot-8 Bulls forward Matas Buzelis.
Wednesday marked just the 19th game this season in which Edgecombe, George and Embiid have all been on the court at the same time. Philadelphia, of course, is still missing two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. He’s recovering from a sprained right pinkie finger that he sustained on March 7.
The Sixers are waiting for wing Kelly Oubre Jr. to rejoin the lineup, too. That said, they had an abundance of firepower against a Chicago squad that’s now 6-21 in its past 27 games.
They got 13 points from wing Quentin Grimes and nine more from forward Dominick Barlow. That pair teamed up for another head-turning play while the Sixers piled up 51 points in the third quarter, the most they’ve logged in any quarter this season and tied for the most they’ve ever registered in a third quarter. Following a steal, Grimes delivered a no-look dime to Barlow, who cashed in for a two-handed jam.
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Later in the frame, George finally found a groove. He drilled a 3 from the top of the arc and then a catch-and-shoot mid-range jumper that came with a friendly bounce.
He maintained that momentum in the fourth quarter, and fellow vet Kyle Lowry put an exclamation point on the team’s offensive clinic. Lowry celebrated his 40th birthday with a 3 in the game’s waning moments.
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