Against the Portland Trail Blazers, it appeared as though the Philadelphia 76ers’ three-game winning run was coming to an end, but they pulled off an incredible comeback to win 120–119. The hosts took their first lead of the contest when MVP front-runner Joel Embiid scored the game-winning goal with 1.1 seconds left. James Harden added 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
For the Trail Blazers Damian Lillard scored 22 points and had 11 assists in the loss. Josh Grant scored 24 points and added 10 rebounds. The Sixers improved to 44-22, while the Blazers dropped to 31-36.
Speaking after the game, Joel Embiid was happy “Yeah, that’s the perfect spot, honestly, especially from my previous years,” Embiid said. “I’ve had a couple of opportunities to get game winners and stuff, and we kept trying to post.” It’s easy to double, and there’s not enough space. But when you get enough in those positions at the nail or the top of the key, the court is wide open because, most of the time, guys don’t want to give up 3s.” He said.