At 9:30 am on December 31st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season competition is in full swing. The New Orleans Pelicans are at home to face the Philadelphia 76ers. Before this game, the 76ers ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 20 wins and 13 losses. In the past 9 games, the 76ers have won 8 of them. Their recent status can be described as very hot. According to statistics from the media StatMuse, the league's scoring leader ( Embiid ) and assists per game ( Harden ) are both in the 76ers. Embiid averages 33.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Harden averages 22 points, 6.5 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 0.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
Indeed, the cooperation between Harden and Embiid is even more tacit this season. Harden focuses on organizing the team, while Embiid focuses on scoring and finishing. The two have a clear division of labor and there is no incompatibility. The 76ers' lineup is also more reasonable than last season, with several more forward players. They hope to usher in further breakthroughs this season. The Pelicans on the other side are also very strong, ranking first in the Western Conference with 22 wins and 12 losses. As a dark horse this season, the Pelicans have made a lot of profits due to the return of the top pick Zion . Zion did not hurt Zhongyong. His recent state is very scary. Since December, he has scored 30.3 points with a 63% shooting rate. This is the highest shooting rate of 30 points or more in a single month in the past 25 years.
In this game, the two sides sent out the starting lineup. The 76ers sent Harden, Melton , Harris , Tucker and Embiid. The Pelicans sent out McCollum , Marshall, Murphy, Zion and Valanciunas . At the beginning of the first quarter, Embiid won the jump ball, and the 76ers took the lead in getting the ball. Harris forced his way inside and caused damage, and stood on the free throw line and made two free throws. Embiid caught the ball in the high post, rushed inside and dunked directly. Harris went in on a fast break and succeeded with the same split dunk. Valanciunas made a strong move in the penalty area and caused damage, and succeeded in two free throws. Embiid scored 4 points in a row in the penalty area. The 76ers got off to a dream start of 10-2. At this time, McCollum began to exert his strength early and hit three consecutive three-pointers in the quarter, immediately helping the Pelicans recover their disadvantage.
Embiid was not to be outdone and counterattacked with a mid-range pull-up jumper. Hernangomez caught the ball in the low post and used the pick-and-roll to turn around and make layups. Niang ambush in the bottom corner and fired from the outside and hit a hit. Marshall also made steals and fast-break one-stop layups. The score between the two teams was very close. At the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans led the 76ers by 4 points 31-27. At the beginning of the second quarter, Zion scored a difficult folding layup, opening the game for the Pelicans. Maxey made a solid step-back jumper. Zion attacked the inside unstoppably. There were also self-shooting and self-grabs. Zion made a tank-crushing layup and scored another goal. In the second quarter of the game, the Pelicans began to take the initiative and gained a lead of about 10 points. Harden's step-back three-pointer hit the target and finally opened the door for himself. Harden did not score a point in the first quarter.
Alvarado counterattacked and scored an empty basket. Entering the second half of the second quarter, McCollum exploded and made sure to hit the three-pointer. He scored 5 three-pointers in a single quarter. After half the game, the Pelicans led the 76ers by 7 points 67-60. In the first half, Zion had 16 points and 3 rebounds, McCollum had 23 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Embiid had 20 points and 6 rebounds, and Harden had 12 points and 5 assists. At the beginning of the second half, the game changed sides again. Murphy's large three-pointer from the top of the arc opened the third quarter of the game. Valanciunas took advantage of the inside and scored with a hook. Embiid used the cover to attack the inside and scored a 2+1. Melton also had a three-pointer from the corner. The offensive firepower of both sides did not decrease at all and they refused to give in to each other. Embiid started to exert his strength, dominating the Pelicans inside and scoring 15 points in a single quarter.
For the Pelicans, McCollum still has the three-point touch and continued to hit two three-pointers, leading the team to still lead. After three quarters, the Pelicans led the 76ers by 8 points 99-91. In the final decisive battle, the Pelicans played steadily at home and maintained their lead until the end. The 76ers could not restrain Zion and McCollum who were in excellent condition. In the end, the Pelicans defeated the 76ers 127-116, giving the 76ers two consecutive losses.
In terms of data, for the 76ers, Joel Embiid 37 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists; James Harden 20 points and 10 assists Offense; Tobias Harris 14 points and 5 rebounds; Tyrese Maxey 9 points; Georges Niang8 points and 4 rebounds; Shake Milton 6 points; Dantoni Melton 11 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks; PJ Tucker 5 points. For the Pelicans, Zion Williams had 36 points and 5 rebounds; Jonas Valanciunas had 210 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks; CJ McCollum made 11 of 16 three-pointers and blasted 42 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals; Willy Hernangomez had 213 points and 4 rebounds; Trey Murphy had 8 points; Naji Marshall had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals; and Jose Alvarado had 7 points and 4 steals.
