All-Star center Joel Embiid received congratulations from NBA and franchise legend Allen Iverson following Embiid’s return to the lineup, a win over the Thunder.
“I thought I was pretty bad,” Embiid told reporters. “I just understand. Usually when I come back from these things, I think 30, 40 (points), whatever it takes to get the win. This time, it’s a little different. It’s going to take me a while to get back to myself and really trust myself. As long as we win, I think my biggest impact is just being out there defensively.”
But Thunder coach Mark Daigneault sure was impressed.
“He changes them significantly,” Daigneault said. “They play a lot different stylistically when he’s into where they have been lately in the last 30 games he’s been out or so. When he plays, it certainly changes their approach.”
Small forward Corey Kispert scored 27 points to lead the Wizards to an upset win over the Bucks, suggesting that it’s something to build on as the season comes to a close.
“It’s a step forward, maybe two steps forward,” Kispert said. “This is the attitude we need to have and the aggression we need to have when we play these kind of games, especially against a championship team like this. Super proud of everybody who played tonight.”
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was pleased with how the Cavs moved the basketball in their easy road win over the Jazz on Tuesday.
“We try to take the play that’s there and we have enough talent on this team that if we just make the simple play, defenses are going to have to make tough choices,” he said.
Center Jarrett Allen agreed.
“This was one of those nights where it felt like we played our type of basketball,” he said. “The ball was moving. We were talking on defense.”
Allen added that the Cavs “wanted to send a message from the beginning of the game. We wanted to get back to what we know is how we play basketball.”
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!