Joel Embiid delivered a dominant performance on Saturday night, finishing with 40 points and 11 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 124-114 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The victory came just hours after the NBA suspended Paul George for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, a decision that reshaped the tone around the franchise before tipoff.
The league did not disclose the nature of the violation or the substance involved, while George told ESPN he took something that was “improper.”
Without the veteran wing available, Philadelphia leaned heavily on its All-Star center and timely perimeter shooting to secure its third straight win.
The Sixers struggled to create separation against a Pelicans team that entered the night with 13 wins, but execution in the final minutes proved decisive.
Tyrese Maxey scored 18 points and knocked down a three-pointer with 2:58 remaining that pushed the lead to 117-111.
Embiid followed with a three of his own, and rookie VJ Edgecombe added another from deep as the home side extended the margin to 123-113.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points, and the club connected on 17 three-pointers while shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc.
Philadelphia finished the game at 48 percent from the field and held a 52-46 rebounding edge, which helped offset 14 missed free throws.
Saddiq Bey led New Orleans with 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including four three-pointers, while Zion Williamson was limited to 11 points on 2-of-6 shooting.
The Pelicans shot 42 percent from three-point range and made 19 free throws, but turnovers and defensive breakdowns late stalled their comeback bid.
The win moved the 76ers to 27-21, keeping them sixth in the standings and within striking distance of the top four.
New Orleans dropped to 13-38 and remained near the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Pelicans travel to Charlotte on Monday night, while Philadelphia heads west to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
