Joel Embiid hits game-winning jumper to lift Sixers and spoil Matisse Thybulle’s homecoming

Joel Embiid crashed Matisse Thybulle’s homecoming.

The 76ers All-Star center sank a 14-foot turnaround jumper with 1.5 seconds left to cap a 120-119 comeback victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

On the play, Embiid jumped in the air to receive the inbound pass from James Harden near the three-point line. After gathering himself, he drove the lane, spun left, and sank the off-balance fadeaway jumper while guarded by Jusuf Nurkić.

“Honestly, I just wanted to get to my spot, which is that free-throw area,” Embiid said. “And once I got there, I just knew I had to make it.”

The Sixers battled back from a 21-point deficit to improve to 44-22 and extend their winning streak to four games. In the process, the Sixers snapped a two-game skid at the Wells Fargo Center.

Embiid led all scorers with 39 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks.

“Joel just being Joel,” Georges Niang said of the 7-foot, 280-pounder who’s the league’s leading scorer at 33.4 points per game. “I don’t want to say I take it for granted. But what he’s doing is remarkable. You know at this size what we ask him to do on a night to night basis: You know to stay healthy, take on double-teams to be able to pass make shots, free throws, he’s been amazing.

“And that was spectacular shot for us to win the game.”

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But this night was all about Thybulle’s return.

The Blazers swingman was back in the arena he called home Friday night, facing his former teammates.

It was an evening that began with him embracing Paul Reed, Sixers coaches, staff members, and the Philadelphia media 2½ hours before the game.

“I was talking to some people who have also experienced it. It’s like a bit of an out-of-body experience,” Thybulle said of returning to face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Blazers on Feb. 9.

“To say it’s weird, I can definitely relate to that sentiment,” he continued. “And for me, it’s just trying to be present and enjoy it for what it is, as weird as it is to be in the visitor’s locker room and now be in enemy territory where I used to call come.”

But what began as a weird night turned into a heartbreaker.

Embiid knotted the score, 114-114, with a pair of foul shots with 2 minutes, 50 seconds left. But Damian Lillard drained a corner jumper over Embiid to put the Blazers up two points with 1:20 to play. After Tyrese Maxey knotted the score, Nurkić scored on a three-point play to give Portland a 119-116 advantage.

But Maxey closed the gap to one with a pair of foul shots. And the Sixers had a chance to win with 7.2 seconds left.

Embiid got the ball after the timeout and gave the Sixers their first lead of the game. Portland (31-36) had a chance with 1.1 left. However, Lillard couldn’t get a shot off on the final possession.

» READ MORE: Sixers-Blazers takeaways: Joel Embiid is ‘unguardable’, Tyrese Maxey’s defensive effort, and more

Thybulle had five points, two rebounds, one assist, and a block against his former team. He was a plus-14 in 19:23.

Anfernee Simons finished with 34 points while making 8 of 12 three-pointers after missing the last four games with a sprained right ankle. Lillard has 22 points on just 6 of 15, including going 2 of 8 on threes.

Early on, it appeared the Sixers would be doomed by Portland’s three-point shooter. The Blazers made 11 of 19 threes in the first half before making just 4 of 17 in the second half.

Harden had 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists for the Sixers.

The last Blazers starter introduced, Thybulle received a loud applause.

Then the Sixers had a video tribute for him during the first timeout with 7:13 left in the opening quarter. Thybulle received a standing ovation from a large portion of the sellout crowd.

On the court, the fourth-year veteran had a quiet quarter.

He provided solid defense playing in the front of the Blazers’ zone. Offensively, he was positioned mostly in the corner behind the three-point line. When not there, Thybulle was positioned at the dunker’s spot.

He had zero shot attempts, one assist, and one rebound before heading to the bench with 3:52 left in the quarter. Thybulle was a plus-16 during that initial 8:08 stint.

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He checked back into the game with 5:43 before intermission. At the 4:34 mark, he drained a corner three-pointer on his first attempt. Thybulle ended up a plus-25 in 14 first-half minutes.

Then he scored on a dunk to put the Blazers up 18 points (76-58) two minutes into the second half.

Thybulle wore No. 4 at Eastside Catholic School near Seattle and at the University of Washington because it was his late mother’s favorite number. He wanted to wear it as a Sixer to continue honoring his mother, Elizabeth, who died on Feb. 2, 2015, after a two-year fight with leukemia.

However, he was forced to wear No. 22 for 2+2 for the Sixers because No. 4 (Dolph Schayes) is retired. But he scooped up the number after being traded to Portland.