Joel Embiid, James Harden Help Sixers Cruise Past Clippers on Friday
![Joel Embiid, James Harden Help Sixers Cruise Past Clippers on Friday Joel Embiid, James Harden Help Sixers Cruise Past Clippers on Friday](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTg4MzMwOTc3NjY2NTQwNzYz/usatsi_17968613_168388689_lowres.jpg)
After an impressive shorthanded win against the Miami Heat on Monday night in South Philly, the Philadelphia 76ers hit the road for a trip out West.
Although the Sixers missed their top two stars, Joel Embiid and James Harden, on Monday, the two All-Stars were back in the mix on Wednesday to face the Anthony Davis and LeBron James-less Lakers in Los Angeles.
The Sixers found success against the Lakers for the second time this year, but it wasn't pretty. After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that while he's happy to get the win, his team didn't make it easy on themselves.
Therefore, the Sixers wanted to bounce back not only with a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night -- but with an impressive one. After falling short to the Clippers by one point back in January, the Sixers got their revenge in late March.
Coming Alive on Offense
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It's safe to assume the Sixers' third-year veteran Matisse Thybulle has won the starting small forward position at this point in the year. As Doc Rivers has started Thybulle for the last 34 games he appeared in, the former first-round pick is starting to settle into his upgraded role this season.
To no surprise, Thybulle has consistently been a menace on the defensive side of the ball this year, but his offensive value remains questionable a lot of the time. While James Harden's presence on the Sixers has given Thybulle a boost, the young defensive standout still has his quiet nights.
Friday was not one of those games, though. In his first seven minutes on the court, Thybulle threw down two dunks in transition and hit on both of his free throws. He wrapped up the first quarter as a plus-14 with six points.
For the rest of the matchup, Thybulle was nearly perfect from the field as he knocked down all but one of his five shots, including the lone three-ball he attempted in the third quarter. By the end of the night, Thybulle collected 13 points in 25 minutes.
The Dynamic Duo
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Embiid and Harden were pretty banged up following Wednesday's game. Harden, who took a knee to the quad, was admittedly sore after the victory over the Lakers. Mix that in with the fact that he's been dealing with hamstring tightness for over a month, and there was reason to be concerned going into the Clippers matchup.
In Harden's last eight games, he shot poorly from the field as he hit on just 35-percent of his attempts. From deep, he connected on 25-percent of his shots. Knowing he's been struggling and dealing with some minor setbacks, nobody knew what version of Harden would come out on Friday.
While Embiid hasn't been struggling lately, he has been dealing with back soreness. And on Wednesday night, the big man was spotted grabbing at his back and stretching out numerous times, making it clear he was bothered by the nagging setback.
But once again, Embiid's back soreness didn't stop him. And Harden's nagging injuries weren't a factor either. Embiid and Harden led the charge for the Sixers on the offensive end right out of the gate, as they collectively contributed to 21 of Philly's 35 points in the first quarter.
And when Harden came out for his eight-minute shift in the second quarter, he dominated by going 4-7 from the field and knocking down three threes to add 15 points to his total before halftime.
After Harden surged the Sixers in the first half, Embiid picked up where the star guard left off in the third quarter as he led the charge with ten of the Sixers' 29 points coming out of the half.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, both Harden and Embiid had a game-high of 27 points. At that point, Embiid's night was finished as he clocked out with 27 points, ten rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 27 minutes.
Meanwhile, Harden picked up an extra six minutes of playing time to help Philly close out the night with a blowout win. The superstar guard collected a game-high of 29 points in 34 minutes. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and produced seven assists as the Sixers cruised past the Clippers with a 122-97 victory.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.