Joel Embiid has been playing like a man possessed this season. Following yet another disappointing postseason exit in Orlando, there were plenty of questions surrounding the Sixers and whether the Embiid-Ben Simmons partnership was a viable long-term plan for Philadelphia.
Right up until the point James Harden landed in Brooklyn, there were rumors that new GM Daryl Morey had tried to include Simmons in a potential trade package, adding even more questions to the equation. But through it all, Embiid has played the best basketball of his career.
And he added to resume on Friday night, as he led the Sixers to a 112-105 victory over the Bulls, and set a new career-high in the process, finishing with 50 points, to go along with 17 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. And he put the game away in dramatic fashion, knocking down a tough step-back jump shot to seal the win.
CAREER-HIGH 49 POINTS FOR JOEL EMBIID
pic.twitter.com/hpvsQ6EOLD
— ESPN (@espn) February 20, 2021
And they needed every bit of it to finish off a feisty Chicago team, led by Zach LaVine, who despite going just 9-of-28 from the field for the night, finished with 30 points and made several big buckets down the stretch that nearly helped the Bulls steal the win.