Joel Embiid tied his career high with 50 points—in just 27 minutes—to carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a 123-110 victory over the Orlando Magic Wednesday.
Embiid added 12 rebounds and three blocks while going 17 of 23 from the floor and 15 of 17 from the charity stripe.
“My teammates just found me,” Embiid said. “And I did the rest.”
ESPN research shows that Embiid’s 27:03 of game time ranks as second lowest in a 50-point game in the shot clock era; the Warriors’ Klay Thompson had 52 points on October 29, 2018, in just 26:33 of playing time.
Tobias Harris added 21 for the 76ers, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Mo Bamba set career highs with 32 points and seven three-pointers for Orlando, which dropped to an NBA-worst 8-38 with its third straight defeat and 13th in the last 14 tries.
Philadelphia was booed off the court at halftime, losing 57-47, but a 17-6 run over the first 5:05 of the third stanza gave way to a 64-63 lead.
“You need playmakers in the playoffs, you just do,” Philly coach Doc Rivers said. “You need guys who are going to make plays for themselves and others. And the more you have, the better team you have, the better chance you have.”
Embiid is now averaging 28 points per game.
“With the way he was playing, there was really no way to go get him,” said Jesse Mermuys, Orlando’s acting head coach while Jamahl Mosley remains in health and safety protocols. “He hit fadeaways, step-backs. I mean, he was impressive.”
“It’s all about playing the right way. The ball is always going to find me,” Embiid said. “These guys have a hell of a lot of trust in me, and they’re always looking for me.
“And it doesn’t matter when. In any time of the game, the ball is going to find me.”
