Joel Embiid Explains His Best Statistic After 59-Point Outing

A near 60-point game was big for Joel Embiid, but the Sixers center was happier about another statistic on Sunday night.

When the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, most of the praise was aimed at the team’s star center Joel Embiid. 

That doesn’t come as a shock, considering the two-time MVP runner-up notched a new career-high in scoring while tying his career-high in single-game blocks.

On defense, Embiid was as dominant as ever down the stretch. Entering the fourth quarter of the matchup, the big man had two blocks on defense. In the final 11 minutes he spent on the floor, the All-Star tacked on five more.

Offensively, Embiid was a man on a mission Sunday night. With 33 points in 25 minutes, Embiid entered the fourth quarter having another solid outing after a 40-plus point performance against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

In crunch time, Embiid generated 26 of Philadelphia’s 27 fourth-quarter points to outscore the Jazz 27-20, willing the Sixers to a 105-98 win. While Embiid’s offensive masterclass and dominant defensive stand in the fourth quarter was the topic of discussion after the 59-point showing, Embiid’s most impressive feat personally was neither his points nor blocks produced.

“Zero turnovers in the second half,” said Embiid when asked about his favorite part of Sunday’s game. 

Turning the ball over has been a consistent struggle for Embiid throughout his career. On Sunday night, Embiid was struggling in the ball-security department through the first half, which led Doc Rivers to believe the big man was going to have a harder time taking over for his team as he did on Saturday night against Atlanta.

“Last night, if you want me to pick the night, I thought a 50-point, 60-point game was last night because he started out the game rolling,” said Rivers on Sunday “Tonight, he had five turnovers at halftime. The reason they were scoring is because they got offensive rebounds and turnovers.”

Embiid accounted for five of Philadelphia’s seven first-half turnovers against the Jazz. Considering the Jazz were draining 45 percent of their field goals on offense, Embiid knew he would have to secure the ball more in the second half to prevent the Jazz from getting unnecessarily easy buckets.

“Going into halftime, I just try to still be aggressive,” Embiid continued. “When you have the ball in your hands, and you’re trying to be a playmaker, and you’re trying to score the ball, you’re going to turn the ball over. In the first half, I had a couple of dumb turnovers. So, in the second half, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t speed myself and just take whatever the defense gave me.”

When the Sixers found a set that was clearly working for Embiid, they didn’t steer away from it. Mix that in with the fact Embiid took much better care of the ball, and the All-Star feasted offensively, scoring 35 points in 18 minutes. 

“I’m happy about that,” Embiid said regarding the lack of turnovers generated. 

Embiid and the Sixers are still a work in progress early on in the year, but the team continues to feel like they are beginning to establish a rhythm and hit their stride early on. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.