NBA Hoops

Embiid confident in Sixers after win

Embiid confident in Sixers after win

PHILADELPHIA — After Joel Embiid put up 47 points, 18 rebounds and five assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers back from a 15-point deficit in defeating his rival for the NBA MVP award, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets Saturday, he told ESPN he believes this year’s squad is the best and deepest team he’s been on in his seven NBA seasons.

“I think so,” said Embiid, who is averaging a league-leading 33.8 points per game. “You’ve got James Harden, obviously he’s been playing great basketball. You’ve got Tyrese Maxey, Tobias has been great, P.J. Tucker … we’ve got a group that fits with each other.

“We’ll find that out (for sure) in the postseason. But I think as far as the fit, you’ve got everything. Everybody fits with each other, we’ve got shooters, we’ve got defenders, and we’ve got James Harden. So I think we’ve got a good chance.”

Embiid was all smiles after a truly dominant performance — one that came against Jokic, whom Embiid has been a runner-up to in each of the past two seasons for MVP, and two days after Embiid was passed over for a starting spot in next month’s All-Star Game.

After narrowly missing out on being a starter in the East frontcourt, finishing behind Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum due to Tatum finishing third to Embiid’s fourth in the fan portion of the voting, Embiid said it was “a little disrespectful” not to be selected as a starter, after being one each of the past five years.

“I’m used to it,” Embiid said. “It’s not the first time. I think it’s more of a motivation to go out and win the whole thing. That’s the only way I’m probably going to get that respect.”

“I was not surprised,” Embiid continued, when asked what he thought when he saw the voting results come in Thursday night. “I think it’s well documented that I’m not well-liked. That’s cool. I don’t know it’s because I troll a lot or that I guess I’m an a–hole. But it’s cool. I keep being me. I keep being an a–hole, and I keep trolling, and if people don’t like it, that’s their problem. But like I said, it all goes back to winning.”

He and the 76ers (32-16), who have now won an NBA-leading seven straight games, won Saturday afternoon in large part because of Embiid’s dominant performance against his rival, particularly in the second half.

Embiid’s second half line: 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks and two turnovers, finishing a plus-22.

Jokic’s…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at www.espn.com – NBA…