The Philadelphia pivot won the first round of the duel with his Cameroonian compatriot and Toronto winger on Saturday 16 April.
Embiid (21)-Siakam (43), the long-awaited Cameroonian duel did not meet expectations. It was timid.
The Philadelphia Sixers are well into the Eastern Conference playoffs. They beat (131-111) the Toronto Raptors on Saturday 16 April in Game 1 of the first round series. The two teams will meet again on Monday 18th for Game 2. Again at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid won the duel against his compatriot Pascal Siakam. But on an individual level, the latter scored more and gave more assists than the former.
The Sixers' pivot, contrary to his habits, was discreet. He scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. He is the only player in the league to have been able to score 19 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists, all of which are good numbers in absolute terms, but modest compared to his standards since the beginning of the season. Especially since he is one of the main favorites for the title of NBA MVP this season.
that's tuff. 😤 pic.twitter.com/jSfDJzFzeZ
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 17, 2022
The main architect of Philadelphia's victory was not Embiid or James Harden (22 points, 5 rebounds and 14 assists, all the same). The "boss" on Saturday night was Tyrese Maxey, who scored 38 points.
Tyrese Maxey just became the youngest Sixer in franchise history to score 30+ points in a playoff game at 21 years, 163 days.
He's also the 1st player age 21 years or younger in NBA playoff history to score 38+ points on at least 66% shooting.
Maxey becomes the youngest player in Sixers history to score more than 30 points in the playoffs at 21 years and 163 days. He is also the first player 21 or younger in NBA history to score 38 points on 66 percent shooting. Of note: this is the first playoff game for this second-year player.
Pascal Siakam, like Embiid, was not flamboyant. He scored five more points than his compatriot (24-19) and handed out more assists (7-4), but took fewer rebounds (15-3). The Raptors' strong winger (40 minutes) is his team's leading scorer and the most present player on the floor of the Wells Fargo Center.
If he wants to carry his franchise and overcome the Philadelphia obstacle, Siakam will have to raise his level of play a little higher. It is now clear that Embiid and Harden can count on the young Tyrese Maxey.
