The Sixers’ 132-103 blowout of the Wizards in Game 3 of their playoff series felt a bit like a home game, with many in the crowd chanting “M-V-P” at Joel Embiid – but it also put Embiid, and the Sixers, in the record books.
Embiid set a new career playoff high with 36 points, and all of them helped the Sixers finish the third quarter with a record of their own: their 109 points through 36 minutes was a new franchise record for any game, regular or postseason.
As Embiid and most of the starters rested in the fourth, though, the Sixers pushed past 120, making them just the fifth team in playoff history to score 120 or more points in each of the first their first three playoff games.
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The feat joined the Sixers with the 2020 Jazz, 2019 Warriors, 1987 Lakers, and 1986 Celtics as the only teams to do that – and the latter two both won the NBA Title, while the ’19 Warriors fell in the Finals to the Raptors.
“They’re championship-ready right now,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks bluntly said after the game.
Most importantly, though? The win gave Philly a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series, and they’ll have four chances to close it out beginning with Game 4 in D.C. Monday night.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN