Embiid sparks Sixers, Durant leads Nets comeback

Embiid finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists while posting a career-high five steals in a superb all-round display at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.

The Cameroon international and NBA MVP contender was one of five Sixers players to finish in double digits as Philadelphia pulled away in the second half. 

James Harden added 24 points with 12 assists while Tobias Harris scored 14. Georges Niang grabbed 12 points from the bench -- all from three-point range -- and Matisse Thybulle chipped in with 10 points.

The win saw the Sixers improve to 43-26 in the Eastern Conference, three games back from conference leaders Miami. A gritty Sixers defensive performance also bottled up the Mavericks' talisman Luka Doncic. 

The Slovenian star was restricted to 17 points with 10 assists. Jalen Brunson led the Mavs scorers with 24 points.

After edging five points clear at half-time, Philadelphia took control after the interval, extending their lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter before closing out a convincing win.

It was a disappointing outcome for Dallas after the high of earlier this week, when Spencer Dinwiddie's last-gasp winner had earned the Mavs a pulsating victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.

The Mavs remain firmly on course for an automatic playoff berth however. Dallas are 43-27 for fifth place in the Western Conference table.

In Brooklyn, the Nets bounced back from Wednesday's buzzer-beating defeat to Dallas with a 128-123 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kevin Durant spurred the Nets with 38 points as they recovered from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to dig out victory.                    LeBron 'having a blast'                    Seth Curry added 27 points -- including seven