Sixers overcome poor start and Joel Embiid’s illness in 110-105 victory over Memphis Grizzlies

Right now, the 76ers plan to live life like a cliché.

“Game by game, one at a time, same as always,” P.J. Tucker said of the Sixers’ grueling six-game stretch coming out of the NBA All-Star break. “It’s no different.”

That approach was successful Thursday night. The Sixers stayed locked in and battled back from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-105, at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers took the lead for good when Tobias Harris hit a three-pointer to give them a 106-105 lead with 39.1 seconds remaining. Then Joel Embiid’s breakaway dunk added the exclamation point and put them up, 108-105, with 23.3 seconds left.

“Tuck did a great job of getting the offensive board, which was huge for us on the last [three],” said Harris, who also hit a huge three-pointer to pull the Sixers within one point (99-98) with 3 minutes, 40 seconds remaining. “And it was just a great play where I was able to get the ball real quick with somebody closing out and just making it. Those are shots I work on. I’m always in the gym . But outside of that, it was there.”

» READ MORE: Sixers’ success through NBA All-Star break will, once again, mean nothing if they can’t flip switch

After a timeout, Desmond Bane missed two wide-open three-pointers before Jaren Jackson Jr. missed another corner three. Jalen McDaniels grabbed the rebound and the Sixers called timeout with 9.4 seconds left.

Things got heated between Embiid and Dillon Brooks with 6.5 ticks left after Jackson fouled Harris. Brooks appeared to have a hand on Embiid, who turned around and shoved the Memphis forward. They both received technical fouls on the play before Harris sank a pair of foul shots to give the Sixers their five-point margin of victory. They scored the final seven points of the game with Harris scoring five.

The Sixers power forward scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. James Harden scored 31 points to move past Sixers great and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for 26th on the NBA all-time scoring list. And Embiid finished with 27 points and game-highs in rebounds (19) and blocks (six) but battled through a 7-for-25 shooting night while playing with a non-COVID-19 illness.

As a team, the Sixers overcome a dismal first half where they shot 31.2% percent.

“This really just says what it said all year: We hang in there,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We kept fighting and we had nothing. The first quarter was as bad as we could play defensively. They literally scored, I felt, every time. And then we fouled every time. So they got to score and set their defense up the entire first half.”

» READ MORE: Sixers star James Harden sends game-worn shoes, video chats with Michigan State shooting survivor

This matchup kicked off a grueling stretch for the Sixers (39-19), who play home games against the Boston Celtics on Saturday and Miami Heat on Monday. They then have a road back-to-back against the Heat on Wednesday and Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, with the Milwaukee Bucks on March 4

But Thursday’s victory kept the Sixers, who are third in the East Conference, three games behind the Celtics (43-17) with 24 games remaining. In the process, they avenged a humbling 117-109 setback to the Grizzlies (35-23) on Dec. 2 at the FedExForum.

Back then, Harden and Tyrese Maxey (16 points) were sidelined and the Sixers looked like a team that would have a tough time contending.

Harden and Maxey both played Thursday and provided a big lift for the Sixers. And the team did a better job of keeping the Grizzlies off the boards. Some might argue that Sixers got a break in that category with Memphis center Steven Adams sidelined with a right knee PCL sprain. But on this night, Embiid was on the boards. And thanks in large part to him, this time the Sixers only had a 49-43 rebounding disadvantage after being outrebounded before by 57-42.

Harden needed 14 points to pass Iverson on the all-time regular-season scoring list at 24,369. He passed him with a three-pointer with 1:42 remaining in the first half. That basket gave Harden 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting before intermission.

The future Hall of Famer has 24,386 after scoring his 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting — including a 6-of-9 mark on three-pointers. Harden also had seven rebounds and seven assists.

“Sheesh. The Answer,” Harden said when asked what it meant to pass Iverson. “I don’t know, man. It’s just like being in the NBA was a farfetched dream. But now when you tell me things like that it’s just like, I don’t know. I don’t know what to say.

“Obvioulsy, we know how important AI was to this league. Obviously to the city of Philly, but the culture. The game of basketball itself. I’m happy to be the same conversation as him, and I got a long way to go.”

Embiid was cleared to play after missing Wednesday morning’s shootaround with a non-COVID-19 illness.

The six-time All-Star was visibly impacted. He missed his first six shots. However, he was able to get to the foul line, making 5 of 8 attempts while scoring seven points in the first quarter. Embiid was also aggressive on the boards, grabbing six rebounds. And as a team, the Sixers made just 6 of 23 shots while trailing 37-22 after one quarter. Embiid finished the first half with nine points on 2-for-14 shooting to go with 12 rebounds.

» READ MORE: Sixers fan favorite Tyrese Maxey set to launch new podcast ‘Maxey on the Mic’ in March

Embiid picked up steam in the second half, scoring the first four points en route to scoring 10 points in the quarter. He also had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter.

Afterward, Embiid downplayed his illness.

“I’m good,” he said. “I don’t know what I have, but I’m good. I’m just happy we got to the win.”

Mac McClung has yet to practice with the Sixers after signing his two-way contract with the team on Feb. 14. However, McClung was on hand Thursday night to ring the Sixers’ ceremonial bell before the game. The point guard received a huge applause from the crowd for winning the NBA Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.