Washington, May 29 (EFE) .- Nothing stopped Cameroonian center Joel Embiid, who stormed the nation’s capital with his best game after setting a playoff record and leading the Philadelphia Sixers to a 103-132 victory over the Washington Wizards in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round tie.
The victory placed the Sixers with a 3-0 advantage and one of the sweep, which could occur on Monday, when the fourth game is played, and achieve the pass to the semifinals that they will play against the winner of the series played by the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks (1-2).
Embiid amid chants of “MVP!” He became the great figure of the game by scoring 36 points, his best mark in the playoffs, after having scored 25 in the first half when the Sixers practically left the game sentenced with a partial 58-72.
The Sixers’ All-Star center, who scored 14 of 18 shots from the field in 28 minutes of action, rested the entire fourth period, also grabbed eight rebounds with two assists and three ball recoveries.
His signature moment of this victory came seconds after he missed a spectacular dunk, returning to the court and doing so on his next attempt while fouling.
Embiid then put his hands to his ears to encourage the attendance of more than 10,000 fans who were in the stands of the field, which was the largest to attend an indoor sporting event in the nation’s capital in 14 months.
The reaction was mixed at the time and throughout the game, as the 76ers kept the Wizards at arm’s length before finally pulling away on the scoreboard.
Australian point guard Ben Simmons scored 14 points and had nine assists, but Philadelphia was far from a two-man show.
Again, forward Tobias Harris stood out with a double-double of 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and guard-forward Danny Green hit five triples and finished with another 15 goals scored.
The Sixers finished the game with 59 percent shooting from the field, including 52 percent from outside the perimeter.
Beyond seven minutes, he was never closer to four points, and Philadelphia led by as much as 31 on the way to the first 3-0 lead in the franchise series since 1985.
The Philadelphia team joined the 2020 Utah Jazz, 2019 Golden State Warriors, 1987 Los Angeles Lakers and 1986 Boston Celtics to score more than 120 points in each of their first three postseason games. . The Lakers and Celtics won the NBA title.
The Sixers also set a franchise record for three-quarter points at 109 and Green edged out former forward Paul Pierce to move to twelfth on the playoff triples list.
The Sixers took advantage of the Wizards’ biggest stars by taking care of injuries, though they still produced.
The point guard Russell Westbrook returned to his traditional triple-double mark with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, although he left the game affected with a slight right ankle sprain that he suffered in the second game and was a doubt until hours before that the third was started.
While the team’s leading scorer, guard Bradley Beal finished with another 25 points, and like Westbrook he had to take care of the strain he suffers in his left hamstring.
The Wizards planned to get Westbrook treatment in the locker room every time he left the field. The problem was, they couldn’t afford to play without him, even when his ankle was sore.
Westbrook played nearly 21 minutes in the first half and more than 34 in total before heading to the locker room at the end of the effort.
It wasn’t a surprise that he played despite the pain given Washington’s hole in the series, and Philadelphia didn’t expect Westbrook to be left out.
Westbrook tied Jason Kidd for third in NBA history with his 11th career postseason triple-double.
Reserve center Daniel Gafford was the Wizards’ sixth player to score 16 points with six rebounds that made him the third-best scorer for the Wizards who had four players with double-digit numbers.
Brazilian guard Raúl Neto, who came out of reserve, Wizards coach Scott Brooks placed him as the third offensive option, but did not have his best scoring inspiration, finishing with just two points after missing 11 of 12 shots from the field. including all six triple attempts he made.
Neto, who also did not go to the personnel line, captured two rebounds and committed a personal foul.
The game was the first playoff contest to be played at a major sports arena in the United States with an active sportsbook. The William Hill venue, which was accessible to level 200 fans, opened Wednesday.
(c) EFE Agency