Joel Embiid scores 44 as Sixers beat Cavs to clinch playoff spot

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Joel Embiid had 44 points and 17 rebounds, James Harden recorded his second triple-double with Philadelphia and the 76ers locked up a playoff spot with a 112-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Embiid was questionable coming into the game with a sore ankle. But not only did the 7-footer play, Embiid dominated down the stretch, scoring 12 points in a key sequence of the fourth quarter.

He also made 17 of 20 free throws, added five blocks and three assists in 38 minutes of another MVP resume builder. Embiid also made three 3-pointers.

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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after turning the ball over in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Harden had an off-shooting night (4 of 13), but finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Darius Garland scored 23 and Caris LeVert and Lamar Stevens had 18 apiece for the Cavs, who played without injured 7-footers Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Cleveland, which is trying to hang onto the No. 7 play-in spot, was still within 109-106 after Harden made two free throws with 11.2 seconds left.

But Kevin Love made a careless inbounds pass that was stolen by Matisse Thybulle, who then made a pass from a sitting position to a streaking Tobais Harris for a game-sealing dunk with 7.2 seconds left.

Nothing came easy on offense for the Sixers, who made 21 3-pointers and scored a season-high 144 points in a win over Charlotte on Saturday. But Embiid bailed his teammates out with the kind of performance that has come to be expected