Joel Embiid Set A Career-High With 59 Points To Carry The Sixers To A Win Over Utah

The Philadelphia 76ers had a chance to get back to .500 on the season on Sunday night, but would have to do so on the second game of a back-to-back (without James Harden) against the West’s surprising top team, the Utah Jazz.

A night after putting 42 points on the Atlanta Hawks, Joel Embiid authored an even more impressive performance in what became a 105-98 Sixers win, as he set a new career-high with 59 points on 19-of-28 shooting (20-of-24 from the free throw line) along with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks. He was sensational all night, but put forth his best work in the fourth quarter, scoring 26 in the final frame to carry the Sixers to a win on a night where only Tyrese Maxey (18 points) joined him in double figures.

Embiid took advantage of the smaller Jazz, as Kelly Olynyk and Lauri Markkanen simply didn’t have enough size to contend with the big fella, and in the fourth quarter he was absolutely dominant in carrying Philly to the win. It was not only Embiid’s best scoring game of his career, but very well his most complete game, as he passed well out of doubles (as evidenced by eight assists) and was unbelievable defensively with seven blocks.

While he did a lot of damage at the stripe, he also put the full arsenal on display in the final frame, beating the Jazz from inside and out as they just had no answers to matchup with him.

His biggest play of the game might have been on the defensive end, where he chased down Collin Sexton for a ridiculous block that preserved a three-point advantage for the Sixers with under 90 seconds to play in the game.

On a night where the Sixers’ star would’ve been forgiven for maybe not having his best on the second night of a back-to-back, he was better than ever on both ends, getting the Sixers a much needed win to get back to .500 at 7-7 and reasserting that he just might be getting back to MVP form.