Joel Embiid had 25 points and 12 rebounds, James Harden had 23 points and 11 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the visiting Toronto Raptors 117-110 on Friday night.
Embiid, though, steadied the 76ers with a jumper and PJ Tucker buried a three that gave them some breathing room. Harden drove to the hoop for a bucket and a 110-101 edge that forced the Raptors to call timeout.
The Raptors didn't have another run in them. Scottie Barnes scored 29 points and O.G. Anunoby had 19.
Harden and Embiid combined to make 12 of 16 shots and Harden made all three three-pointers in the first half. Embiid and Harden showed no ill effects of injuries that hampered them of late.
WATCH | Embiid, Harden lead 76ers past Raptors:
Embiid is playing through a nagging right calf injury that cost him a game — and maybe some MVP votes — Monday at Denver. He said the injury is "good enough" and is trying to survive the remaining games without incident. With Embiid, though, there's always a small scare for the 76ers. The NBA scoring leader stepped on Anunoby's foot in the first half and was briefly on his back. He gingerly got up and missed a free throw.
Harden has been dealing with a sore left Achilles for the last few months. The 33-year-old Harden said the pain has spiked at times during games. Coach Doc Rivers said before the game Harden's injury has "been managed but it's always a concern."
The Sixers hit the 50-win mark this season in the fewest amount of games since 2001. The 76ers reached the NBA Finals that season and improbably haven't gone past the second round since. They've lost in the second round each of the last two seasons but remain contenders to at least win the Eastern Conference. That is, if Embiid and Harden are
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