Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid
returned from a two-game absence to help the Sixers score a crucial
Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat in their second-round playoff
series.
Embiid tallied 18 points and 11
rebounds Friday night while donning a protective mask to protect his face after
suffering an orbital fracture in the previous series.
“No one cared who I was until I put
on the mask,” the MVP candidate joked on Instagram, using a line from The Dark Knight Rises.
Miami guard
Jimmy Butler responded:
Butler and the Heat won the first two
games by a combined 30 points with Embiid out of the lineup. The
five-time All-Star’s return allowed Philly to bounce back with a
99-79 win that suggests it’s set to become a long, competitive series
after all.
It was a team effort for the
Sixers as Danny Green (21 points), Tyrese Maxey (21) and James Harden
(17) also had strong scoring nights.
Butler paced the Heat with 33 points,
but only one other player scored in double figures (Tyler Herro, 14)
as the Philadelphia defense held them to 35.1 percent shooting.
“You add Jo to any team, home or
away, the game, the scouting report, it changes drastically,”
Butler told reporters about Embiid’s return. “It’s been like
that for his entire career.”
The former teammates are always willing
to engage in some banter either on the floor or, in this case, on
Instagram after a hard-fought game.
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