JOEL Embiid scored 40 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Utah Jazz (131-123) in overtime on Wednesday.
It was the fifth game this season that Embiid posted at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a game.
Tobias Harris scored 11 of his 22 points in overtime to go along with 10 rebounds and Ben Simmons added 17 points. Seth Curry contributed 14 and Dwight Howard and Shake Milton had 12 each.
The Sixers capitalized on a late 8-0 run in overtime to seal the victory.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 33 points and eight rebounds, but was ejected in the final minute of overtime after receiving his second technical foul.
Bojan Bogdanović and Mike Conley added 18 apiece and Joe Ingles had 16 for the Jazz, who hit 21 of 44 treys.
The Jazz built a 13-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Sixers responded with a 6-0 run to close within 46-39.
Embiid kept the Sixers close with 20 points, but the Sixers trailed 61-52 at halftime. It was the 18th time this season that Embiid scored at least 20 in any half.
Curry knocked down a trey, just the team’s second of the game, and Philadelphia closed within 72-69 with 7:20 to go in the third.
Mitchell completed a spectacular three-point play to extend the Utah advantage to 81-75. Mitchell was bumped by Embiid in midair, but somehow contorted his body to hit the shot.
Furkan Korkmaz keyed an early 11-3 run in the fourth and the Sixers went ahead 95-92.
Rudy Gobert (12 points, nine rebounds) threw down an alley-oop dunk with 6:26 left and the Jazz pulled ahead 103-99. Embiid dropped in a trey with 3:56 remaining to give the Sixers a 107-106 lead.
Mitchell responded with a 3-pointer and Utah led by two.
Gobert’s dunk with 2:17 to go extended the Jazz advantage to 114-109.
Embiid came back with a layup and two free throws to cut the deficit to 114-113 with 1:47 remaining.
Embiid’s trey with 5.9 seconds left tied the game at 118 and forced overtime. — Reuters