, and Embiid more than made up for his absence.Embiid was questionable before the game with lower back soreness and coach Brett Brown hinted during pregame it might be best for the Philadelphia big man to sit this one out. Embiid clearly had other intentions.His 24 first-half points helped Philadelphia to a 65-50 halftime lead, and he punctuated an entertaining opening 24 minutes by pinning Harden's layup attempt with 7.5 seconds left for a crowd-pleasing block. The duo had to be separated with 38.7 seconds left in the half, with each being issued a technical, after Harden took exception to Embiid's foul on him.The 76ers broke the game open in a dominant third quarter as they outscored Houston 29-13 to take a 94-63 advantage into the fourth. Ben Simmons stole Harden's pass, made a layup and finished a three-point play after being fouled by Harden to make it 73-52. The lead kept growing, getting as large as 31.Harden had 10 points in the third but missed four of six field goal tries as the 76ers hounded him defensively with double-teams and different looks. A tired-looking Harden's air ball with 12.3 seconds left in the third showed the effects of the Philadelphia defense - and, perhaps, Harden's offensive workload.With the game out of range, Harden sat in the fourth.Corey Brewer frustrated Harden for part of the night.On a 10-day contract, Brewer replaced Butler in the starting lineup and was tasked with guarding Harden. Brewer was a gnat for the first 24 minutes, following Harden wherever he went. Harden took exception to Brewer guarding him without the ball 80 feet from the basket, pushing the 76ers forward behind the play. Harden wasn't called for a foul on that play, but picked up his third with 29.1 seconds left in the first half when he shoved Brewer away - again causing the sold-out crowd to erupt in cheers.ANTHONY TRADEA person with direct knowledge of the matter said the Rockets are trading Carmelo Anthony and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Bulls in a deal that is expected to be completed Tuesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the trade still needs league approval.The Bulls have no plans to play Anthony and will look to either trade him before the Feb. 7 deadline or ultimately waive him and make him a free agent. The trade ends a short-lived saga in Houston for Anthony, who averaged 13.4 points in 10 games with the Rockets. He has not played since Nov. 8.FARIED SIGNEDHouston signed Kenneth Faried before the game after he was waived by the Nets on Saturday. In 12 games with Brooklyn this season, Faried averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.''He brings energy, athleticism and runs the floor,'' Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. ''The way we play will complement him, and he'll complement us.'' In order to sign Faried, the Rockets waived James Nunnally.Faried had 13 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.TIP-INSRockets: G Chris Paul (strained left hamstring) missed his 15th straight game. G Brandon Knight (sore left knee) also sat out. C Clint Capela (right thumb surgery) is out four to six weeks. . Houston was held under 100 points for the 10th time, dropping to 2-8 in those games.76ers: Philadelphia improved to 20-4 at home. ... Landry Shamet had 18 points and JJ Redick added 16.UP NEXTRockets: At the New York Knicks on Wednesday.76ers: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Jan 20, 2019The Philadelphia 76ers will look to rebound from a tough setback when they host the Houston Rockets on Monday night.The 76ers were reeling following a heartbreaking two-point home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.Paul George converted a four-point play with 5.1 seconds remaining to lift the Thunder over the Sixers 117-115.Philadelphia will have to recover quickly as it opposes the Rockets.Joel Embiid led the way with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Ben Simmons had 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Despite the solid statistics, the Sixers weren't able to convert on their last possession with Simmons looking to be confused after handing the ball to Jimmy Butler beyond the 3-point arc."I'm backing Ben Simmons on the fly," Sixers head coach Brett Brown said. "I wish we got it out of bounds quicker to create more of an environment that was moving and a little bit more disorganized, but there's a lot of stuff that went on before that." Embiid now has 20 games with at least 30 points, which ranks second in the league behind only Houston's James Harden. The last Philadelphia player with at least 20 games of at least 30 points through the first 45 games of a season was Allen Iverson.Butler had already made two game-winning shots since joining the Sixers. And he wasn't shy in attempting the third in the difficult loss."It just shows that we stick with it no matter what," Butler said. "Lots of things to learn from on both ends of the floor in any and every situation, especially late game. I wouldn't say we'd rather because nobody wants to lose, but better now than when the playoffs roll around. I think everybody's heads are still high. We learned." The Rockets, meanwhile, rallied from 21 points down to stun the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 108-104 in overtime on Saturday night.Harden as usual led the way with 48 points and Eric Gordon contributed 30 huge points in the comeback victory. Gordon sent the game into overtime with a clutch 3-pointer.Harden continued his stellar play with his 19th straight game of at least 30 points. In 10 of the last 13 games, Harden has scored at least 40 points.The most important fact this time was that the Rockets were able to win their 26th game."Words don't do it," Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "That was just our guys showing a lot of heart." Harden also had eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. It was Gordon's return from a sore knee that also catapulted the Rockets. After missing eight games, this was Gordon's second game back in the lineup."He's so offensively gifted and talented being able to shoot the basketball, being able to get to the rim, being able to make plays for others," Harden told reporters. "You get a guy like that on the floor with you, it makes it easier not only for myself, but for everybody." The Rockets and Sixers split the season series last season. The Rockets also are looking to avoid losing back-to-back games to Philadelphia since Jan. 12-Nov. 13, 2013.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Houston Rockets
Philadelphia 76ers
Pick Center
NBA
FINAL (1/21/2019)
EnterTheMatrix888
