Inside Sixers: Joel Embiid’s subtle celebration, Montrezl Harrell MVP moment and more behind-the-scenes anecdotes

LOS ANGELES — Joel Embiid noticed a familiar face as he walked through the visitors’ tunnel at Crypto.com Arena, and subtly lifted his hand into a thumbs up.

“That’s how you win the game,” Embiid then boomed as he rounded the corner toward the 76ers’ locker room, “with defense!”

The All-NBA big man was riding the emotions of his team’s last-second stop Sunday to preserve a 113-112 victory over the Lakers. And Embiid had been smack in the middle of the final possession, guarding Russell Westbrook as he drove to the basket — and then defending his play after Westbrook claimed Embiid grabbed his wrist.

“I don’t think I fouled him,” said Embiid, who also slyly slipped in that he believes he should be in the conversation for NBA defensive player of the year. “Physical play on both sides. You could have called a foul on the other end, too, a bump. It goes both ways, but I thought it was great defense and we got the win.”

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That capped a wild weekend for the Sixers, who squeaked out two one-point victories on back-to-back nights against the Lakers and Jazz to begin their longest road trip of the season. In the process, the Sixers moved to 11 games over .500 at 27-16, and enter Tuesday’s game against the Clippers a half-game back of the second-place Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.

Their reward: an off day in Los Angeles on Monday, before a matchup against the Clippers the following night. They will then continue their trip against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

Here are some more behind-the-scenes moments that peppered the week:

Doc Rivers opened Sunday’s postgame news conference by asking attendees who should have been the Sixers’ Most Valuable Player against the Lakers.

Georges Niang, who hit a go-ahead three-pointer and blocked Westbrook at the rim down the stretch?

Embiid, who finished a 35-11-4 game with a key jumper to put the Sixers up four and provided the initial defense on Westbrook?

James Harden, who totaled 24 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds and orchestrated sharp late-game offense for the second night in a row?

No, no, and no, the Sixers’ coach said. That distinction belonged to backup center Montrezl Harrell.

Harrell’s stat line was modest: two points and one rebound (and some defensive whiffs) in 12 reserve minutes. But Rivers said Harrell persuaded him to challenge an out-of-bounds play that was overturned and gave the Sixers possession leading by two points with 1 minute, 6 seconds remaining.

“He was the only one that stood up and swore that that ball was out,” Rivers said. “We couldn’t get the video, and he said, ‘I promise you.’ Trusting a player in those situations is very hard, let me just say that. But he swore.”

Why was Harrell so emphatic?

“Because I was right!” he said in the locker room after the game.

As Niang left the visitors’ locker room in Salt Lake City, he hollered to nobody in particular, “All right, Utah. See you guys in the Finals.”

Yet Niang was not the only former Jazz player who made his return on Saturday night. That organization also helped Danuel House Jr. reset his NBA career, after he was released last season by the Houston Rockets and did not get a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks renewed.

House played in 25 games for Utah with six starts, and averaged 6.8 points per game on 41.5% shooting from three-point distance. Though much of the Jazz’s roster and coaching staff turned over during an eventful 2022 offseason, House said he still keeps in touch with Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Rudy Gay.

“It was a place that took me in and they accepted me,” House said. “It’s a nice place to be. It’s got great scenery, good people. The energy was perfect. … The people of Utah were just very sweet and compassionate.”

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House, though, did not get to play in front of his former home crowd. Since the Sixers’ collective health was replenished, the veteran wing has been pushed out of the rotation. House has not played meaningful minutes since a New Year’s Eve win in Oklahoma City when Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and P.J. Tucker all rested on the second night of a back-to-back set.

House, though, has remained as engaged as possible. He is typically one of the last players off the floor at home shootarounds, including during a three-point contest last week when player development coach Reggie Redding playfully yelled, “Shake-teen!” as teammate Shake Milton watched House bury 18 consecutive corner shots. While waiting to check in at the end of a timeout during Thursday’s loss to the Thunder, De’Anthony Melton chatted at the scorer’s table with House.

“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating,” House said of his recent lack of playing time. “It’s part of the game. … I just love to hoop, so [I’m] just out there just trying to fine-tune my game, find ways to still get better, even though it is what it is. Just controlling what I can control.”

As Maxey handed two black T-shirts to Milton while walking into the locker room before last Tuesday’s game against Detroit, Milton responded with “Oh, this is hard.”

The shirts featured Milton and the logo for SMU, where he starred in college. When asked where Maxey got the attire, Milton said they were gifted by somebody in the Wells Fargo Center stands.

That exchange was also a reminder that the Maxey-Milton friendship extends back to before they were both Sixers. While Milton was at SMU, Maxey’s father, Tyrone, was the program’s director of player development.

Before Rivers finished up his news conference before Thursday’s loss against Oklahoma City, an 8-year-old girl named Zoey stepped forward to ask two questions.

“Are you going to show all these people how to do this?” Rivers asked.

“Yes,” said Zoey, who was the Junior 76ers kids reporter for the day.

“Yes. I love the answer,” Rivers replied.

Her first question: Who’s the funniest player on your team?

“I’m going to go with Georges,” Rivers answered, “because he thinks he’s the funniest person on our team.”

Her second question: What’s your strategy for tonight’s game?

“The number one strategy is to take them out of transition,” Rivers said. (Note: The Sixers did not, as the Thunder totaled 21 fastbreak points in a 133-114 win.)

Zoey’s cheerful reaction to the answers earned her one more question. But when she froze, Rivers concocted his own question — Who plays the most pranks on the team? — and revealed it’s Embiid.

“Who’d you have: Chargers or Jaguars?” Maxey asked as the Sixers prepared to leave Salt Lake City’s Vivint Arena.

Saturday’s most stunning sports happening — the Jacksonville Jaguars’ rally from 27-0 down to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL playoffs — unfolded while the Sixers were in the middle of their own nail-biter against the Jazz. But the aftermath rippled through the visitors’ locker room.

Rivers even let out an unprompted-and-bewildered “wow” while bringing it up during his postgame news conference.

“It’s the playoffs. You’ve got to be ready for everything,” Rivers added. “I can’t wait. I’m going to watch the game now. I actually want to see that game.”