James Harden In Awe Of Joel Embiid’s 52 Points After Sixers Beat Celtics

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers needed a win on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics. They had lost the first three matchups to the Cs and they needed to avoid the season sweep and at least pick up one win against these guys.

While Sixers as a team struggled, there was Joel Embiid to the rescue. The big fella dropped 52 points on 20-for-25 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and six assists in a 103-101 win over the Celtics at home. It wasn’t the prettiest win for the Sixers as they had a tough time closing this one out, but it was a win and it gives them some confidence that they can beat this team.

The big reason they feel that way is Embiid. The MVP candidate just put on one amazing performance and it was a night that will not be forgotten. The big fella was just on another level. The efficiency was remarkable and it’s getting tough to really find the right adjectives to describe what he’s doing on the floor.

“I don’t remember him missing a shot,” said James Harden who knows a thing or two about amazing performances. “That’s an efficient 50–one of the most efficient 50s I’ve seen. From being at the elbow, sweet spot, he made the right decision a majority of the time. His shot was falling. He made some really good passes, like I said, so we’re gonna need that consistently from him.”

Harden had a nice night himself as he had 20 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, but the night belongs to Embiid as he continues to build up his MVP resume.

“From the beginning, I just wanted to be aggressive,” said Embiid. “The last few games, I’ve kinda taken a step back and getting everybody involved so from the beginning, I told myself to be more aggressive than I have been the last few games, and obviously, my teammates kept feeding me the ball, and I just kept getting lucky and making shots.”

As mentioned, Embiid is having one helluva season. This is the third time he has scored 50 points in a game in the 2022-23 season. It’s unheard of for a guy his size to do what he’s been doing all season long.

With three games left, he and the Sixers will look to continue to build momentum before the playoffs begin on April 15.