LOS ANGELES – Joel Embiid reached the second round of Saturday night’s NBA Skills Challenge at the Staples Center.
The 76ers center was defeated by eventual runner-up Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls. The Brooklyn Nets’ Spencer Dinnwiddie won the event.
The Skills Challenge — tests in ball-handling, passing and shooting — had eight participants, and the players raced head-to-head on an identical course at each end of the floor. The winners of the four first-round matchups moved onto the semifinal round. The semifinal winners then advanced to the final, which Dinnwiddie won over Markkanen.
The Skills Competition was part of the NBA’s All-Star Saturday Night, which also featured the three-point contest and slam dunk competition.