Philadelphia: Joel Embiid scored 23 points in his post-season debut as the Philadelphia 76ers crushed the Miami Heat 128-108 to grab a 2-1 lead in their first round play-off series.
Embiid, who wore a mask to protect a broken bone in his face, returned from a 10-game absence and helped seal the victory by scoring seven straight points for the Sixers down the stretch.
Dario Saric and Marco Belinelli combined to score 42 points while Ben Simmons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia in front of a crowd of 19,800 at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.
“It was annoying,” Embiid said of the black carbon fibre mask. “But that was the only way I could play in this game, if I wore the mask and protected my face with goggles. I had to work through it and I did.”
In New Orleans, Nikola Mirotic scored a career playoff-best 30 points and the Pelicans beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-102 to take a stranglehold 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.
The Golden State Warriors beat San Antonio Spurs 110-97 to within one game of a first-round play-off sweep.
— AFP
