NBA: Jokic untenable against a good Wembanyama, Embiid succeeds in his return

The return from injury of Cameroonian pivot Joel Embiid for Philadelphia contributed to losing the lead in the West to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Victor Wembanyama stood out again on Tuesday in the NBA.

The Philadelphia 76ers celebrated the return from injury of Cameroonian pivot Joel Embiid with a prestigious victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder (109-105), who are fighting for first place in the West. Embiid, MVP in 2023, made a surprise return a little more than two months after injuring his knee (January 30). Without Embiid, the Sixers have plunged in the standings, and are currently 8th, in a play-off position.

With 24 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, Embiid largely contributed to his team's victory with nearly 30 minutes of play which left him exhausted. “Usually when I get injured I move on quickly to something else. This injury (tear of the left meniscus) required a real mental effort from me,” commented Embiid, who was cautious on the floor. If OKC led the majority of the match, a good effort from the Sixers in the 4th quarter (won 36-25) allowed them to go ahead 106-105 38 seconds from time with two throws from Embiid, then author with a decisive interception.

The Thunder's defeat has serious consequences in the standings in the very tight fight for first place and home advantage in the Western play-offs. OKC (52 wins - 23 losses) has in fact lost two places, leaving the lead to champion Denver (53-23), winner against San Antonio (110-105), and second place to the Minnesota Timberwolves (52-23) , who beat Houston (113-106) with 14 points and 12 rebounds from French pivot Rudy Gobert.

The San Antonio Spurs, getting better and better at the end of the season when they were eliminated from the race for the play-offs, lost with honors to the champion Denver (110-105), carried by their Serbian pivot Nikola Jokic (42 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists), favorite to be named MVP for the 3rd time in his career. If he could do nothing to stop the “Joker”, Victor Wembanyama, named rookie of the month in the West in March for the 3rd time in a row, continued his momentum with another full match, ending with 23 points , 15 rebounds, 8 assists and above all 9 blocks, one unit shy of his record in this category. The 20-year-old Frenchman distinguished himself in several actions. At the start of the match he notably performed an acrobatic lay-up against Jokic, a counter on the Serb, then an offensive rebound for two new points in a few seconds. “The quality shown for 48 minutes impressed me, it's the best I've seen this year,” noted coach Gregg Popovich about his young team.

The Milwaukee Bucks, second in the East, suffered an unexpected setback on the floor of the Washington Wizards (117-113), penultimate in the same conference, despite 35 points scored by Giannis Antetokounmpo, in a triple-double with 15 rebounds and 10 passes. The Bucks remain two games ahead of the Cavaliers in the standings.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed a 7th victory in 8 matches on the floor of the Toronto Raptors (128-111), with 25 points from D'Angelo Russell and 23 points from LeBron James. The Lakers are gradually securing their place in the final phase. Currently 9th (43-33), they are putting pressure on Sacramento/Phoenix. Behind them, the Golden State Warriors (10th in the last play-off place) are breathing thanks to their success over Dallas (104-100) combined with the defeat of Houston (11th), giving them a cushion of three matches.