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James Harden’s Tweet About Joel Embiid After Big Night vs. Jazz

Embiid receives praise from his All-Star teammate.
Justin Grasso|
James Harden’s Tweet About Joel Embiid After Big Night vs. Jazz
James Harden’s Tweet About Joel Embiid After Big Night vs. Jazz

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Philadelphia 76ersUtah Jazz

After a solid start to the year, Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden suffered a setback in a matchup against the Washington Wizards nearly two weeks back.

Foot pain didn’t take Harden off the court at the time of the injury, but an MRI revealed he suffered a tendon strain. Therefore, Harden was told he would be re-evaluated in two weeks. The star guard is expected to miss at least a month’s worth of games.

When Harden went out, the team’s other All-Star, Joel Embiid, was battling a setback that took him off the court. Fortunately for the Sixers, Embiid is back in action after getting over the flu. And over the weekend, the All-Star center put on back-to-back dominant performances.

In the matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, Embiid dropped 42 points in 40 minutes of action. His All-Star teammate James Harden was back on the bench for the first time since suffering his injury, witnessing the action live.

The following night, Embiid spent nearly 37 minutes on the court against the Utah Jazz and had arguably the best solo performance of his career. Harden, who witnessed it live, took to Twitter to react after the matchup.

As the Sixers and the Jazz traded buckets all night, Embiid lifted the Sixers by hitting on 19 of his 28 shots from the field and draining 20 of his 24 free throws.

The All-Star big man finished the matchup with 59 points, marking a new career-high. 

But it wasn’t just Embiid’s scoring that was impressive. In addition, he had 11 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and tied his career-high in blocks with seven total. The last time he had that many blocks in a single outing was back in a 2017 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Embiid’s Sunday night performance at the Wells Fargo Center was one of a kind. In Harden’s eyes, it was just another example to prove that Embiid’s one of one. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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