PHILADELPHIA — Brett Brown described Joel Embiid as the 76ers’ crown jewel, and the dynamic 7-footer illustrated the reason for such praise. Even at less than 100 percent, when his status was unknown minutes before opening tipoff, the two-time All-Star was a force.
His sore left knee wasn’t a limitation Monday night, as Embiid was dominant in 21 quality minutes, scoring 23 points and adding 10 rebounds as the 76ers evened the opening-round playoff series at one apiece with a 145-123 blitzing of the Nets at Wells Fargo Center.
Before the game, Brown revealed he had two game plans, one if Embiid was available and another if he wasn’t.