For the better part of Friday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Philadelphia 76ers looked overmatched and inferior. But that didn’t stop them from orchestrating an impressive 21-point comeback and getting a 120-119 win in the last seconds of the contest.
The Blazers took a 37-29 lead in the first quarter and continued to build on it throughout the next two periods, having a 21-point lead at one point. However, the 76ers picked themselves up in the third before delivering a monster fourth quarter.
It all came down to the last possession that saw Portland clinging on a one-point lead. With the clock running out, Philly’s superstar Joel Embiid dribbled the ball to the free throw line and got a shot off over Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic. The ball went in, giving the 76ers their first lead of the game and their opponents just 1.1 seconds to work with. The Trail Blazers didn’t manage to get a shot off after a time out, and Philadelphia ended up being the team that celebrated.
“It wasn’t our night until 1.1 seconds, when you think about it,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “We stayed at it. We were looking for everything and just couldn’t get going, man. We looked like we were in mud in the first half on both ends.
Despite scoring the winning basket, Embiid was also the best player on the court. He finished the night with 39 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Anfernee Simons had 34 points for the Blazers.
