Joel Embiid had trouble with his new mask.
It didn’t slow him down.
Embiid’s playoff debut was a smashing success for Philadelphia. The All-Star center returned from a 10-game absence by scoring 23 points
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The 76ers outscored the Heat 32-14 in the fourth quarter, and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
”I am just so proud of what he did,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.
Rightly so, too. Embiid started the day doubtful, ended it dominant, and had plenty of help as well. Marco Belinelli and Dario Saric each scored 21 for Philadelphia, and Ben Simmons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
”It was annoying,” Embiid said of getting used to the mask. ”But that was the only way I could play in this game
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Thursday began with the 76ers saying Embiid wasn’t likely to play. His status was upgraded to probable in the afternoon and then he finally was inserted into the starting lineup – medical clearance coming from the team, mask clearance coming from the NBA after the league signed off on the dark, translucent, carbon-fiber, goggled apparatus that was made in consultation with independent experts.
The mask came off a couple times, the goggles were askew at times as well – Heat forward Justise Winslow even stomping on them once for good measure, a play that Brown chalked up to the intensity of playoff basketball – but in the end Embiid found a way.
”It’s definitely a different look when you have an All-Star back in the lineup,” Winslow said. ”It changes things, for sure.”
Goran Dragic scored 23 points for Miami, which got 19 from Winslow and 14 from Josh Richardson.
Game 4 is Saturday afternoon.
