Joel Embiid Comes To Life VS Raptors

On Thursday night, Joel Embiid finally cracked the resolute Toronto Raptors defense to help the 76ers to a win.

Having been kept quiet in games 1 and 2, Joel Embiid came to lie in game three of the series. He finished with 24 points on 6 for 12 shooting as Philly won the game 116 – 95.

It was a performance that prompted coach Brett Brown to name Joel Embiid as the best player in the series. Embiid went 3-for-3 on three pointers and 9-for-9 from the foul line.

In Games 1 and 2, Marc Gasol limited him to six points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Want $250 to bet on the NBA Playoffs?

“I’m not really focused on him,” Embiid said.

“Great player, have a lot of respect for him, but it’s a team game.

“If I’m open, my teammates are going to find me, and if they’re open, I’m going to find them. So I’m not really worried about them, I’m more worried about my team. You know, how we coexist on the court, how we play together.”

Surprisingly, Brett Brown highlighted Embiid’s defensive play after the game.

Read: Tua Tagovailoa the Favorite to be 2020 NFL No. 1 Pick

“I mean, for me it goes straight to the blocks,” Brown said.

“You know, we can talk about a windmill dunk. You can talk about some finesse post moves and that, but I go to defense. That’s what interests me the most to date with this series. … My mind goes straight there. He is our crown jewel defensively, and I suppose offensively, too. But certainly defensively. And his rim protection and blocking-shot ability tonight stood out as much to me as anything in an incredible performance.”