JOEL Embiid stepped up in the endgame as Philadelphia 76ers escaped with a 118-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Down 113-114 after a three-pointer by Mavericks’ Klay Thompson, Embiid responded with a basket to surge the 76ers on top at 115-114 with over two minutes left in the game.
The Mavericks took the lead for the last time at 116-115 on a basket by Naji Marshall, but a conversion and a split free throw by Embiid surged the 76ers ahead at 118-116 late in the game.
Embiid, who missed the 76ers’ last 15 matches due to an injury, posted a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists as they returned to their winning ways with a 20-29 win-loss slate.
Tyrese Maxey tallied a double-double of 33 points and 13 assists, while Guerschon Yabusele and rookie Justin Edwards contributed 19 and 16 markers, respectively, for the 76ers.
Kyrie Irving top-scored for the Mavericks with 34 points, Marshall, Max Christie, and Dante Exum added 19, 15, and 14 markers, respectively, while Thompson and Daniel Gafford had 12 each as they dropped to a 26-25 record.
Prior to the game, both teams engaged in a one-on-one trade where the 76ers shipped Caleb Martin to the Mavericks in exchange for Quentin Grimes and a future draft pick.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets connected two three-pointers in the final nine seconds to score a 99-97 escape over Houston Rockets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Down 93-97, the Nets cut the deficit to 96-97 on a three-pointer by Keon Johnson. They regained the ball off a steal by Tosan Evboumwan, which led to a game-winning three-pointer by DAngelo Russell.
Johnson top-scored for the Nets with 24 points, Evboumwan and Nicholas Claxton added 14 points apiece, while Russell and Tyrese Martin ended with 10 each./PN
BOX SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA 118 — Maxey 33, Embiid 29, Yabusele 19, Edwards 16, Oubre 9, Council 8, Jackson 2, Bona 2, Dowtin 0.
DALLAS 116 — Irving 34, Marshall 19, Christie 15, Exum 14, Gafford 12, Thompson 12, Dinwiddie 7, Prosper 2, Kelley 1, Edwards 0.
Quarterscores: 36-31, 58-65, 84-77, 118-116.
