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

Joel Embiid is unstoppable.

Tyrese Maxey’s defensive effort isn’t going unnoticed. And the Portland Trail Blazers are the right spot for Matisse Thybulle.

Those three things stood out in the 76ers’ 120-119 victory over the Blazers on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Embiid is the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.4 points.

The Sixers six-time All-Star finished with game highs of 39 points and three blocks to go with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Friday marked the fifth straight game in which he scored at least 30 points while shooting at least 50%. He made 13 of 20 shots, with his biggest being a game-winning 14-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds left.

So does Embiid sense that he can’t be stopped?

» READ MORE: Matisse Thybulle back to having fun as member of Trail Blazers: ‘It’s been really nice to feel wanted’

“I mean, I’ve said it,” Embiid said. “I think I’m unguardable. You know it’s all about using that and trying to make my teammates better. With that comes a lot of double- and triple-teams every game.”

The MVP candidate will tell you it’s not just about offense. His goal is to help the Sixers become better defensively. They did a solid job in the fourth quarter, holding the Blazers to 38.9% shooting - including going 1 of 6 on three-pointers.

“But that’s how we got to start cames,” Embiid said.

However, Embiid’s performance comes three nights after scoring 39 points in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Twenty-two of his points came in the third quarter. All that came after also dominating the previous three games. He had 35 points and eight rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks (March 2). Then Embiid finished with 31 points, 10 assists and six rebounds versus the Milwaukee Bucks (March 4). And he had 42 points against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

“I’m really just working on my game, honestly,” Embiid said. “Seeing what works and what doesn’t. I’m trying to be agressive and also getting my guys involved.

“Like I say, I can be better. I missed a bunch of free throws and had a couple of turnovers, especially one down the stretch. So I can always be better.”

Embiid made 13 of 18 foul shots and committed four turnovers with one in the fourth quarter.

There was a point in the season when Maxey was viewed as a defensive liability. That contributed to his being taken out of the starting lineup for 17 games. But after Friday’s victory, coach Doc Rivers referred to him as “Defensive Maxey.” Maxey responded “Two-way Maxey.”

The shooting guard struggled to defend Portland guard Anfernee Simons early on. He did a better job defending Damian Lillard. But in the fourth quarter, Maxey made a lot of hustle plays while the Sixers trapped on defense.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid hit game-winning jumper to lift Sixers and spoil Matisse Thybulle’s homecoming

And that didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.

“You know what was great? The guys in the locker room, Tuck [P.J. Tucker] was killing Tyrese after the game,” Rivers said. “He was like, ‘The cat’s out of the bag, brother.’ That’s what he [Tucker] kept saying, ‘You played amazing defense.’ Veterans in your locker room are so important. He was in his face saying, ‘You played amazing defense. You can do that every single night.’”

Maxey’s teammates and coaches were elated for him. They also know what he’s capable of doing.

“He pressured the ball,” Rivers said. “Got over picks. Didn’t get picked. Even sank and took the big away. Took his legs away on one. Those were great plays for him. It was good learning stuff for Tyrese.”

Portland coach Chauncey Billups spoke of the love he had for Thybulle before the game. And Lillard basically did the same afterward.

The Blazers have been giving he the utmost support since the Sixers traded him to Portland on Feb. 9.

The swingman had a solid game against his former team, finishing with five points on 2-for-4 shooting — including going 2 of 4 on three-pointers — to go with two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and a block in 19 minutes, 23 seconds. He finished with a team-best plus-14.

» READ MORE: Former Sixer Matisse Thybulle on his Garage Fishtown mural, love for Philly, and impending free agency

“I think a lot of guys are in the league for a reason,” Lillard said. “Sometimes you just need that support, you need that love, you need people to believe in you, and I’ve seen it make a world of a difference for a lot of players.

“It’s hard being in this league fighting, trying to earn your stay, and you’re in an environment where people don’t believe in you. It just makes it that much harder. … I just wanted to encourage him [and] show my belief in him.”

Devalued by the Sixers, Thybulle’s minutes were slashed this season. He had not progressed offensively to the Sixers’ satisfaction. And based on his role this season, there was no guarantee he would have gotten significant postseason minutes for the Sixers.

Best performance: This goes to Embiid for his all around performance and hitting the game-winner.

Worst performance: I had to give this to Shaedon Sharpe. The Blazers reserve guard was a minus-19 in 17:14. He didn’t attempt a shot while splitting a pair of foul shots to score a point.

Best defensive performance: Embiid gets this for having a game-high in blocks (three) and a team-high in steals (two).

Worst statistic: This goes to Blazers’ foul shooting. The Timberwolves shot 66.7% from the foul line.

Best statistic: This goes to the Blazers’ first-half three-point shooting. They made 11 of 19 threes for 57.9%.

Best of the Best: The victory pulled the third-place Sixers are, once again, 1½ games behind the second-place Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings . The Sixers are 44-22 while the Celtics are 45-21.