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Joel Embiid grabs 15 rebounds in first half, most by any 76ers player in a playoff half the last 25 seasons

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Updated18 Apr 2023

Joel Embiid grabs 15 rebounds in first half, most by any 76ers player in a playoff half the last 25 seasons

Joel Embiid recorded 15 rebounds in the first half in Monday night’s 96-84 first-round win against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, becoming the first Philadelphia 76ers player to grab at least 15 boards in a postseason half the last 25 seasons.

The six-time All-Star ended his performance with 20 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and three blocks in 38 minutes of action. Plus, the projected MVP winner shot 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 (100%) at the foul line.

Per a few NBA betting sites, Joel Embiid and the 76ers have fifth-shortest odds to win the championship. Check out which sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

“A lot of people think I just love scoring the basketball,” Joel Embiid said. “I don’t think it’s true. I enjoy winning. … We didn’t play our best basketball but in the second half we just figured out what worked, and we kept doing it over and over and over.”

Embiid’s 19 rebounds were his most in a postseason game since grabbing a career-high 21 boards in the Sixers’ 103-100 second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Projected MVP winner Joel Embiid logged 15 rebounds in the first half of Tuesday’s win over the Nets, most by any 76ers player in a playoff half the last 25 seasons

While the four-time All-NBA member didn’t have the best offensive outing, Embiid’s rebounding effort gave the 76ers more opportunities to outscore Brooklyn. Fellow teammate Tyrese Maxey joined Allen Iverson as the only Sixers players with multiple 30-point playoff games with five or more 3-pointers.

Brooklyn outscored the 76ers 24-19 in the second quarter. Maxey tallied 15 points in the first half and finished with a team-high 33 points. Joel Embiid is learning to trust his teammates down the stretch. Philadelphia trailed 49-44 at halftime.

“As bad as we played offensively, we were only down five points,” Maxey said. “We knew if we could get our offense to catch up to our defense, and continue to be stingy on defense, we knew we had a shot.”

Philadelphia now has a 2-0 series lead over Brooklyn in its first-round series. The 76ers also improved to 4-0 in their season head-to-head series against the Nets.

For Game 3, the Sixers will play the Nets at Barclays Center this Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Based on ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Philadelphia has an 80.2% chance of winning in Brooklyn. Even when Joel Embiid had an off night, the Nets still fell short.

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