Joel Embiid Dominant as 76ers Beat Rockets, End 3-Game Losing Streak
Philadelphia's three-game losing streak came to an end Wednesday as the 76ers rolled to a 118-113 defeat of the Houston Rockets at home, marking the first time president of basketball operations Daryl Morey faced the team he spent 13 seasons with before heading to Philadelphia this offseason.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points to lead the 19-10 76ers, who staved off a major late-game comeback by Houston to come away with the win.
For the 11-17 Rockets, who are losers of seven straight, John Wall tallied 28 points.
Notable Performers
- Joel Embiid, 76ers: 31 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST
- Seth Curry, 76ers: 25 PTS, 5 AST
- Tobias Harris, 76ers: 24 PTS, 15 REB, 5 AST
- John Wall, Rockets: 28 PTS, 7 AST
Sixers Strong Start Nearly Falls Apart
Joel Embiid's back-to-back 35-point outings weren't enough to vault the 76ers past the Portland Trail Blazers or the Phoenix Suns, and though he missed Monday's game because of back tightness, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris combined to drop 78 points against the Utah Jazz. But they still couldn't get a win.
On Wednesday, Embiid returned, but Simmons was out with an illness. Matisse Thybulle got the start in his place.
Embiid had eight points at the half, but it was Seth Curry's 16 points and 14 points from Harris that led the way through the first two quarters. Danny Green tacked on 12, giving Philadelphia a 69-43 halftime advantage.
Embiid erupted in the second half, saving the game for the 76ers amid a late effort from Houston.
Part of Philadelphia's recent struggles is because of the absence of Shake Milton, who is dealing with an ankle sprain. The team's fourth-leading scorer, Milton was averaging 14.0 points per game at the time of his injury, and the 76ers bench has done little to fill the void, having been outscored 151-64 by opponents' benches through three losses, according to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
On Wednesday, Philadelphia's bench scored 21 points to 22 from Houston's.
The lack of depth on the 76ers bench has proved to be a problem, and it didn't exactly blow the Rockets bench out of the water Wednesday, but the performance from the starting five was enough to work with.
Rockets Come Together Too Late
For the last seven games, the Houston Rockets have been trying to figure out how to play without their leading scorer, Christian Wood. They haven't quite figured it out.
DeMarcus Cousins has gotten the start at center since Wood sprained his ankle on Feb. 4. Along the way, he's averaged 11.0 points and 9.2 rebounds, which certainly doesn't hold a candle to Wood's 22.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. But it would have been manageable until Victor Oladipo went down, too.
Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker have also missed time, though the former returned for Wednesday's tilt.
The Rockets entered Wednesday ranked 29th in the league in offensive rating since that fateful game that apparently changed everything for Houston (h/t Cleaning The Glass).
But they changed it up Wednesday, swapping their starters for the 10th straight game, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
While it appeared to work at the start, with the Rockets jumping out to a 14-9 lead, they lost control midway through the first quarter. Philadelphia was up 14 after one despite 10 points from Cousins.
At the break, Gordon led the Rockets with 11 points, and Cousins didn't score at all in the second quarter to put Philadelphia, which hit 11 threes in the half, up 69-43.
John Wall was limited to just two points across the first two frames while he turned the ball over five times—his second-most in a game this season, per Feigen—though he emerged for 12 points in the third quarter alone to help breathe a bit of life into Houston.
But it was too little, too late, even for a late-stage effort that saw the Rockets reduce their deficit to four as Philadelphia got comfortable.
What's Next?
Philadelphia hosts the Chicago Bulls on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Rockets return home to host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
