Embiid Puts on Stellar Performance in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

This season, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid earned his fifth NBA All-Star nod. It was the fourth time Embiid was voted in as an All-Star.

As Embiid's been on track to having another MVP-caliber season, it came as no surprise that the big man would start and get significant playing time in the big game. And it was the first time Embiid could play during All-Star weekend in over two years.

Last season, Embiid was voted in as an All-Star for the fourth straight time. While he was healthy heading into the game, Embiid and his former teammate Ben Simmons were exposed to somebody who tested positive for COVID-19.

Therefore, Embiid and Simmons missed the big game as they entered into the NBA's health and safety protocol due to contact tracing. 

But after a couple of years, Embiid was finally able to play. As a member of Kevin Durant's team, Embiid checked into the game for the first eight minutes. He was nearly perfect from the floor on the offensive end as the big man knocked down all but one of his six shots.

Embiid wrapped up the first quarter as the scoring leader with 11 points. When Philadelphia's big man appeared on the court for three minutes in the second quarter, he didn't shoot as much, but he was efficient once again.

With all of his three shots coming from beyond the arc, Embiid put up another six points before heading into halftime. He finished up the first half by leading Team Durant in scoring with 17 points in 11 minutes.

Following an impressive first half, it was clear Embiid was making an All-Star MVP push. In his first seven minutes of the second half, Embiid was nearly perfect from the floor again as he hit on five of his six shots from the field. He tacked on another 12 points in the third quarter and had just under 30 going into the fourth.

When the final quarter rolled around, Embiid was issued every minute along with Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball, and Dejounte Murray. While Embiid attempted the most shots during that stretch, he had his toughest shooting period yet and scored seven points, draining just 29-percent of his field-goal attempts. 

Overall, Embiid put on a stellar performance and scored a team-leading 36 points in 30 minutes. He picked up a double-double with ten rebounds and also had four assists. While the Sixers' big man was probably in the MVP conversation amongst voters, Golden State's superstar Steph Curry made it clear that nobody on the floor was better than him on Sunday night.

In 36 minutes, Curry drained 17 of his 30 shots. After attempting 27 of his shots from three, Curry hit an All-Star all-time high of 16 threes. He wrapped up the game with 50 points and earned his first All-Star MVP award when the game was over.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.