NBA: Brilliant Embiid leads Sixers comeback, Denver fall again

PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid knew that there was a big moment in store for him late in the game on Friday night, and he took the opportunity when it mattered the most.

The Philadelphia 76ers star centre scored 39 points and, most importantly, drained a superb game-winning jump shot with less than two seconds remaining to complete a dramatic 120-119 National Basketball Association (NBA) home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Sixers looked to be heading for defeat after trailing by 21 points in the second quarter, and were down by 13 with less than six minutes remaining in the final period.

But Embiid and James Harden spearheaded a late rally to haul the team back into contention, shutting down the Portland offence while stitching together a run to make it a one-point game with 38 seconds remaining.

And with the clock ticking down, Embiid spun away from the Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic to drain a fadeaway jumper to put the Sixers ahead 120-119, the first time Philadelphia had led during the game.

“I knew I had to get a bucket,” Embiid said of his game-winning play.

“We’d fought the whole game, come back after being down by 20 to make it a one-point game – you’ve got to make those plays. And my teammates and my coach trust me to do my job.”

Embiid’s 39 points were the latest in a series of dazzling performances by the Cameroonian star.

Since the start of March, he has averaged nearly 37 points a game, with tallies of 39, 39, 42, 31 and 35 over his last five appearances.

Embiid had scoring support from Harden with 19 points, while Tyrese Maxey and De’Anthony Melton had 13 each.

“We looked like we were in mud in the first half, at both ends,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said.

“That’s a hell of a win for us because we didn’t have a lot... But we just hung in there long enough, and we found a way.”

It was the third time this season that the Sixers, who are third in the Eastern Conference with a 44-22 record, have come back from being down by 20 points to win.

“We don’t quit, and we don’t give up,” Harden said.

“Obviously you don’t want to be down 20, but we try to find ways to stay in the game to give ourselves a chance and that’s what we did tonight.”

Portland (31-36) were left to reflect on a victory that slipped away after a superb shooting performance from Anfernee Simons, who finished with 34 points, including eight three-pointers.

Elsewhere, the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets suffered a second straight defeat in a 128-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Texas.

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs scorers with 23 points, while Denver’s reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic recorded a 37-point triple-double – his 26th of the season – that included 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Despite the loss, the Nuggets still lead second-placed Sacramento by six games with a 46-21 record. AFP