76ers vs. Pelicans: 3 Things That Stood Out on Monday
Following a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers returned home for a rematch against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Last Friday, the Sixers paid a visit to the Pelicans for a high-percentage shootout. Unfortunately, a ton of self-inflicting mistakes that were taken advantage of by the Pelicans caused the Sixers to take on a second-straight loss in New Orleans.
After gaining some of their confidence back with a road win against a rebuilding squad while undermanned, the Sixers returned home to host the Pelicans.
This time around, both teams saw different results. Although there were seven lead changes throughout the night, it was apparent the Sixers were in control. In the end, Philadelphia snagged their second-straight win by putting the Pelicans away 120-111.
Here’s what stood out for the Sixers on Monday.
Joel Embiid’s Dominance Continues in the New Year
Despite dealing with some back soreness on Monday morning, Joel Embiid pushed through the pain to suit up and play for Philadelphia on Monday night.
Once again, the reigning scoring champion put on a routinely dominant performance in the scoring department. As Embiid played for the entire first quarter, he was nearly perfect from the field, knocking down four of his first five shots. In the second quarter, Embiid didn’t pump up the shooting volume but hit on both of his attempts from the field.
He had 18 points in the first half, which is sort of quiet by his own standards. Then in the second half, Embiid turned his play up a notch. Dueling with Pelicans star Zion Williamson in the third quarter, Embiid chucked up 13 attempts and totaled 15 points in 11 minutes.
The big man tacked on another nine points while shooting efficiently in the fourth quarter. Embiid closed out Monday’s matchup with a game-high of 42 points in a little under 36 minutes of action. It was the fourth time Embiid exceeded 40 points in an outing since returning from an injury on November 28.
Zion Williamson Tests Sixers’ Interior Defense
Williamson entered Monday’s game healthy but couldn’t finish out the night due to suffering a hamstring strain in the third quarter. The star finished the night with 28 minutes of playing time. It’s unclear if the Pelicans would’ve been able to pull off a comeback win or not had Williamson stayed healthy down the stretch, but he certainly would’ve given New Orleans a much better chance.
The former first pick was simply dominant in the paint. Overall, Zion put up 12 field goals on Monday. He made all but two of his shots. Getting to the free throw line for eight shots, Williamson made six of his shots from the charity stripe. In 28 minutes of action, Williamson scored 26 points. He also had six rebounds and seven assists.
A Boost From Niang
After a hot start to the game, the Sixers lost a little momentum in the first quarter as they allowed the Pelicans to get out in front. Monday’s game resembled Friday’s at first, but a boost from the veteran forward Georges Niang helped the Sixers keep control of the matchup.
In the first quarter, Niang checked in for the final four minutes. He knocked down two of his three shots from beyond the arc. Then in the second quarter, Niang produced another six points by hitting on a couple more threes.
Niang’s second-half showing was more quiet than usual, as he put up just three shots for three points, but overall, he was a key contributor to the victory. In the end, Niang wrapped up the game by going five for nine from the field, with all of his shots coming from deep. He finished with 15 points in 26 minutes.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
