LOS ANGELES – Joel Embiid scored 41 points in a dazzling return from injury on Jan 15 as the Philadelphia 76ers romped past the Houston Rockets 124-115, but there are concerns about his fitness in the near future.
Kicking off a packed slate of National Basketball Association (NBA) fixtures as the United States marked the Martin Luther King Jr public holiday, the Sixers were always in control as they cruised to a home victory.
Embiid had missed the past three games after twisting his left knee in a Jan 5 loss to the New York Knicks.
But the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) showed no sign of rustiness as he posted his seventh 40-point game of the season, adding 10 rebounds and three assists. “Hopefully it doesn’t swell up again,” he said.
The Cameroonian centre and his team will both be hoping that he can stay healthy – he has already missed 10 games this season, which also means that he is in jeopardy of not winning another MVP award.
Players must be on the floor in at least 65 games to be eligible for accolades such as the MVP or the All-NBA teams.
This means that Embiid – who has met that mark only twice in his eight seasons, when he played 68 games in 2021-22, and 66 games last season – can miss only seven more games in the final 44.
“It doesn’t matter how many games I play; the goal is to be healthy the rest of the year,” he added. “If I have a chance to get a second one (MVP), I’ll do it. But I’m not going to force myself or push for it.
“We’re winning, that’s the main thing, and we’ve got to keep winning. At the end of the day, if I can’t meet the requirement for the amount of games played to qualify for MVP, then so be it.”
When he is fit, however, he does well most of the time. Embiid shot 12-of-21 from the field against the Rockets and was near-perfect from the foul line, making 16 of 17 free throws as the Sixers improved to 25-13 to remain in third place in the Eastern Conference.
His performance also extended a remarkable scoring run. Embiid, 29, has now gone 16 consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest streak of its kind in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain (65) is ahead.
While Embiid made a successful return from injury, there was less to celebrate for Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green in his first game back since missing 16 games through suspension.
Green, who was given an indefinite ban by the NBA in December after striking Phoenix Suns player Jusuf Nurkic, played 23 minutes off the bench and had seven points in the Warriors’ 116-107 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In other games, Anthony Davis finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and five assists while LeBron James added 25 points as the Los Angeles Lakers ended Oklahoma City Thunder’s four-game winning streak with a 112-105 home win.
In Dallas, Kyrie Irving scored 42 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 41 as the Mavericks staged a fourth quarter rally to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-120.
In Toronto, the East-leading Boston Celtics (31-9) beat the Raptors 105-96 with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday scoring 22 points apiece for the visitors. AFP
