PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid showed no rust in his return from a left knee injury that sidelined him for a month, recording his first triple-double of the season Tuesday night in a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Embiid had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Sixers' 118-116 win. He played 36 minutes and went 12 of 23 from the field and 4 of 9 from the free-throw line.
The 30-year-old Embiid appeared in just his 14th game of an injury-plagued season. The Sixers are 8-6 with him and 20-29 overall, and they'll need him on the floor to make a push toward the playoffs.
Embiid’s layup with 22 seconds left put Philadelphia ahead by a point. He grabbed a rebound on the Mavericks’ next possession and then defended the final play of the game when Dallas turned it over.
Embiid, who was drafted No. 3 overall by Philadelphia in 2014, entered the game averaging 24.4 points and 7.9 rebounds.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
The Associated Press
