Embiid solid again, but Sixers get torched
MEMPHIS - Joel Embiid, once again, showed why the 76ers are optimistic. The rookie center passed what will be perhaps his stiffest test of the preseason. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot Tuesday night in a 121-91 exhibition setback to Memphis at the FedExForum. Embiid went 7 of 8 from the foul line. He played just 12 minutes, 45 seconds, all in the first half.
MEMPHIS - Joel Embiid, once again, showed why the 76ers are optimistic.
The rookie center passed what will be perhaps his stiffest test of the preseason. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot Tuesday night in a 121-91 exhibition setback to Memphis at the FedExForum. Embiid went 7 of 8 from the foul line. He played just 12 minutes, 45 seconds, all in the first half.
"The game is starting to get easy for me," Embiid said. "I'm starting to figure out everything. It doesn't matter how I played. We lost by a lot.
"I don't think my performance helped us win a game. So it doesn't matter."
His performance was impressive because of the players it came against: Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
For the first time in his nascent NBA career, the 7-foot-2, 276-pounder faced someone who combined the 7-1, 265-pound Gasol's size, finesse, power, shooting, defensive presence, and mobility.
Early on, Embiid struggled.
He had an 11-foot turnaround jumper blocked by Gasol 24 seconds into the contest. He also missed his next two shots - a wide-open, 23-foot corner three and 10-foot turnaround jumper.
Embiid, however, got in the groove and made three of his final four shots. His first basket came on a five-foot turnaround jumper with 2.2 seconds left in the quarter.
He also didn't back down from making contact with Randolph, who matched up with Embiid when Gasol was out of the game. A 16th-year veteran, Randolph dogged everyone else who faced him, scoring 17 points to go with eight rebounds in 16:12.
Embiid, however, gained his respect. The two conversed while players were at the foul line.
"Before I played against him, I used to be scared of him," said Embiid, who missed the previous two seasons after foot surgeries. "[And in] the last game, Birdman [Cleveland's Chris Andersen], they used to kind of scare me. But they are all good guys. They all said, 'Good luck. How you are feeling?' . . . Asking about my foot."
Gasol did the same thing. He and Embiid actually took it a step further. They were trash talking about who was better in the FIFA 17 video game.
Gasol also had a solid night with nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Grizzlies (2-1).
Sixers shooting guard Gerald Henderson was more active and played more minutes than he did in the previous three preseason games. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, the 24th pick in the draft, finished with preseason highs of 13 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers (1-3).
Jerami Grant started at power forward in place of Dario Saric, who had the night off for a much-needed rest. After a long season in the Turkish Basketball League, the 22-year-old completed for the Croatian national team. He spent this summer playing in Olympic qualifying games and then the Rio Games.
"He almost feels like he's done something wrong," Sixers coach Brett Brown said of Saric's missing the game. "He feels guilty and I remind him even with the limited time that we all spent, it's like you get it. He's so competitive. He so wants to please and he so wants to be a part of the team that he feels like he's done something wrong."
Saric acknowledged that he needed rest. He also is aware that preseason games don't mean much. "But you still like to play," Saric said. "You want to play."
Undrafted rookie point guard Cat Barber made his Sixers debut. He finished with seven points and three assists in 13 second-half minutes. The former North Carolina State standout missed the first three preseason games with right hand and wrist injuries.
Reserve shooting guard Nik Stauskas expects to return Thursday against Washington at the Verizon Center. He missed his third straight game with a strained left hamstring.
Brown said that Brandon Paul (right side contusion) might also return on Thursday. Nerlens Noel remains sidelined with a left groin strain. The center visited the doctor Monday in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, the goal is have Jahlil Okafor (right knee rehabilitation) ready by the Oct. 26 season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jerryd Bayless (left wrist soreness) could miss some time at the start of the season, while Ben Simmons (right foot surgery) is expected to be out three months, according to a source.
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