By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Philadelphia 76ers survived an endgame run by the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets for a 123-117 win in the 2020-2021 NBA Season on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Comfortably ahead at 109-88 after two free throws by Tobias Harris, the 76ers suddenly saw its lead trimmed to 111-114 by a furious rally by the reserves of the Nets.
Free throws by Ben Simmons and Fukuan Korkmaz widened 76ers’ lead to 118-113. After the Nets cut the deficit to 115-118, Philadelphia sealed the win on free throws by Joel Embiid.
Embiid finished the match with double-double 37 points and 17 rebounds, Harris added 26 markers, while Simmons and Shake Milton had 15 markers each for the 76ers, which moved to solo first in the East with 38-17 slate.
Kyrie Irving ended with 37 points and nine assists, while Landry Shamet, Jeff Green and Bruce Brown added 17, 15 and 14 markers, respectively, for the Nets, which dropped to 37-18.
The Nets played minus stars James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyler Johnson, and Spencer Dinwiddie due to injuries while Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin also sat out due to injury management.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks (34-20) bucked the continued absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo as they tallied their second straight win at the expense of Minnesota Timberwolves (14-42), 130-105.
Khris Middleton led the way with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday chipped in 18 and 15 markers, respectively, for the Bucks.
Cleveland Cavaliers (20-34) halted its losing skid with a 103-90 victory over Charlotte Hornets (27-27). Taurean Prince anchored the Cavaliers’ offense with 25 points.
BOX SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA 123 – Embiid 37, Harris 26, Simmons 15, Milton 15, Korkmaz 9, Green 5, Curry 5, Scott 3, Thybulle 2, Tucker 0.
BROOKLYN 117 – Irving 37, Shamet 17, Green 15, Brown 14, Jordan 12, A. Johnson 8, Harris 6, Luwawu-Cabarrot 5, Claxton 3.
Quarterscores: 32-28, 65-58, 94-84, 123-117./ASC, WDJ