Joel Embiid kept hitting shots and James Harden kept finding open partners. The combination was almost unstoppable.
Embiid scored 42 points, Harden added 20 assists, 14 points and nine rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers opened a close game with a decisive fourth-quarter streak to beat the Indiana Pacers 147-143 on Monday night.
“When you have a guy like Joel and a guy like James, it’s hard to stop them,” Pacers guard TJ McConnell said.
In reality, it was next to impossible in a wildly entertaining game that was virtually devoid of defense. Both teams put up numbers closer to those of an All-Star Game.
Embiid was 11 of 16 from the field, made all 19 free throw attempts and made his 11th 40-point game this season. The 76ers shot 58.5 percent, had six players in double figures and three with 20 or more points: Tyrese Maxey scored 24 and Jalen McDaniels had 20.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers had another monster scoring night with 42 points
James Harden was one assist away from his most assists in an NBA game (21)
The Pacers shot 58.9 percent with seven players in double figures, led by Tyrese Haliburton with 40 points and 16 assists, in just their second home game since Feb. 16. Jordan Nwora added 16 points.
But a span of two minutes was all Philadelphia needed.
“It was an offensive game,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “But at the same time, someone had to take a defensive position and we did just enough to win the game.”
With Philadelphia shooting 62.5 percent overall and from 3-point range during the first half and the Pacers shooting 61.1 percent from the field during the same span, no one could take control.
Neither team led by more than six through the first three quarters. Early in the quarter, Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton hit back-to-back baskets to give the 76ers a 122-118 lead. Danuel House Jr. followed with a 3-pointer and Milton capped the 10-0 run with another three to make it 128-118 with 7:49 to play.
Indiana closed 141-137 with 52.1 seconds to go, but couldn’t get any closer.
“When they click like that, they’re a tough team to beat,” Haliburton said. ‘The game came down to who could get the most saves in a row. Usually there are three in a row. Tonight, it was more like two in a row.
Indiana honored David Benner, its longtime director of media relations, with a moment of silence before the game. Benner died last week at age 67 after a long illness.
The Pacers honored their former director of media relations, David Benner, who died of illness.
He joined the Pacers in 1994 after covering the team, Notre Dame football and Indiana University basketball for The Indianapolis Star.
A memorial service at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Actor Will Ferrell and rapper, actor and television producer Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson sat courtside. Indiana honored the crew of the USS Indiana between the first and second quarters.
CELTS 114-118 KNIGHTS
Donovan Mitchell scored 40 points and Lamar Stevens fueled Cleveland’s fourth-quarter comeback with his hustle, leading the Cavaliers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday, who lost their second game in overtime in less than 24 hours.
Evan Mobley added 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Cavs, who improved to 7-0 in overtime while avenging a loss in Boston five days ago.
Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Malcolm Brogdon 24 for the Celtics, who didn’t arrive at their Cleveland hotel until 2:30 a.m. after losing to the New York Knicks in double overtime on Sunday.
The Celtics, without All-Star Game MVP Jayson Tatum, blew a 14-point lead into the quarter and had a chance to win it in regulation.
But Grant Williams missed two free throws with 0.8 seconds left and Boston’s Marcus Smart just missed a tip shot at the buzzer.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell scored 40 points in Cleveland’s rematch win against Boston
HEAT 130-128 HAWKS
Jimmy Butler had 26 points, Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin combined for 43 off the bench and Miami topped Atlanta.
Butler also had nine rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which swept a two-game series by the Hawks. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points, Duncan Robinson had 14, Tyler Herro finished with 13 and the Heat set a season-high 59 bench points.
Trae Young scored 25 for Atlanta, which got 23 from Dejounte Murray and 17 each from Saddiq Bey and John Collins.
Miami (35-31) moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the race for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, taking the season series 3-1, leaving the Heat to retain the tiebreaker over the Falcons too.
Victor Oladipo (center) scored 22 points off the bench for Miami in the Heat’s home win against Atlanta
NUGGETS 118-113 RAPTORS
Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Michael Porter Jr. had 20 and Denver scored the final six points of the game to beat Toronto.
Aaron Gordon added 19 points for the Nuggets, who won their ninth straight home game.
They improved to 24-1 in their last 25 games at Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic finished one assist away from another triple-double. He had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Fred VanVleet had 21 points for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam added 19.
VanVleet hit a pair of free throws as Toronto regained a one-point lead, but Denver scored the final six points, all on free throws, to clinch the win.
Murray converted a free kick in that final stretch after Scottie Barnes was called for a technical foul and sent off by referee Scott Foster.
Jamal Murray (left) led the Denver Nuggets to a victory over the Toronto Raptors with 24 points
TRAIL BLAZERS 110-104 PISTONS
Damian Lillard had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, clinching his second triple-double of the season before the end of the third quarter, as Portland beat Detroit.
The dynamic guard scored 16 points in the first quarter to give the Trail Blazers a 31-18 lead, and they had no trouble holding a comfortable margin against a team that was battered and depressed for most of the night.
Detroit pulled within six points with 1:39 to play to cheer up the previously calm fans, and Jerami Grant calmed them down with a 3-pointer on the next possession.
Grant finished with 26 points against his former team.
Isaiah Livers scored 17 for the Pistons, who have lost a season-high eight straight.
Portland’s Jerami Grant haunted his former team with a 26-point performance against the Pistons
PELICANS 108-123 KINGS
Kevin Huerter scored 25 points, Domantas Sabonis added his eighth triple-double of the season and the Sacramento Kings beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-108 on Monday night.
Sabonis finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He leads the NBA with 52 double-doubles.
Huerter had eight assists and five rebounds for the Kings (38-26). Sacramento has won six of its first seven games after the All-Star break.
The Kings outscored the Pelicans 38-20 in the third quarter after the game was tied at 59 at halftime.
Davion Mitchell started for injured Kings star De’Aaron Fox and scored 15 points and added six assists. Trey Lyles scored 14 points off the bench.
Brandon Ingram scored 24 points for the Pelicans (31-34). New Orleans has lost six of its last seven games
Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis leads the NBA with 52 double-doubles after Monday’s game