Embiid scores 42, Harden has 20 assists, Sixers beat Pacers 147-143 Police in Colorado investigating Morant, potential gun law violation Heat’s Haslem confirms this is his final season: ‘I’m done no matter what happens’ Celtics center Robert Williams out 7-10 days with hamstring strain UPDATE: NBA rescinds rebound, manufactured Giannis Antetokounmpo triple-double

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joel Embiid continued to fire and James Harden continued to find open teammates.

This combination was almost unstoppable.

Embiid had 42 points, Harden added 20 assists, 14 points and 9 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers opened a close game from the series-clincher in the fourth quarter, beating 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 security guard TJ McConnell said.

Passed 40 for the 11th time this season 🔥

Joel Embiid finishes with 42 points in @sixers Victory on the road! pic.twitter.com/UddGffAIc9

— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2023

Actually, it was almost impossible in a wildly spectacular game, almost devoid of protection. Both teams fielded numbers more similar to those of the All-Star Game.

Embiid went off the field 11 of 16, made all 19 free throws and posted his 11th 40-point game this season. The 76ers have 58.5% shooting, six players in double figures and three with 20 or more points. Tyrese Maxi scored 24 and Jalen McDaniels it was 20.

The Pacers shot 58.9% with seven players in double figures – led by Tyrese Halliburton with 40 points and 16 assists in just the second home game since February 16. Jordan Nvora added 16 points.

But one two-minute pause was enough for Philadelphia.

“It was an attacking game,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “But at the same time, someone had to get on the defensive and we did enough to win the game.”

With Philadelphia shooting 62.5% overall and from three-point range during the first half and the Pacers sitting at 61.1% from the field in the same period, no one could take control.

No team has led more than six times in the first three quarters. At the beginning of the fourth Sheik Milton And De’Anthony Melton made consecutive baskets to give the 76ers a 122-118 lead. House of Danuel Junior followed with a 3-pointer, and Milton ended the 10–0 series with another 3 to make it 128–118 with 7:49 left to play.

Indiana closed out 141–137 with 52.1 seconds left but failed to close.

“When they click like that, it’s hard to beat them,” Halliburton said. “The game was about who could make the most stops in a row. Usually it’s three in a row. Today it was more like two in a row.”

Indiana honored David Banner, its longtime director of media relations, with a moment of silence before the game. Banner died last week at the age of 67 after a long 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.

Police in Glendale, Colorado — part of the Denver metropolitan area — are investigating if I am Morant broke any laws by apparently having a gun in a club within their city limits, reported by Ramona Shelburne and Liz Merrill of ESPN.

Colorado is an open-carry state, but there are a few restrictions. One of them is that people cannot own firearms while intoxicated. Morant doesn’t drink in a video of him brandishing a gun at a club that went viral after he posted it on Instagram Live (the video alerted police to the situation, no complaints reported, according to the report).

Grizzlies star Ja Morant is said to have been showing off the gun on her IG Live this morning.pic.twitter.com/HlhvoWlnYy

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 4, 2023

The NBA is also investigating the situation. The league does not permit a player to possess a firearm on any team property or while traveling on team business. Morant and the Grizzlies were on the trip and in Denver when the incident happened early Saturday morning (or late Friday night).

The NBA could be suspended — which means losing Morant’s game pay — in addition to being “away” from the Grizzlies for an indefinite period of time (which won’t affect his salary).

“There’s no exact timeline yet,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of Morant’s return. “I mean, we said it would be at least two games, you know, we take them one day at a time. I mean it will be an ongoing healing process. So I can’t comment on the exact schedule because it’s really not a schedule.”

Jenkins did not elaborate on what steps would need to be taken to get Morant back on the team.

Morant released a statement over the weekend:

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I apologize to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time off to get help and work on learning more effective ways to deal with stress and my general well-being.”

The Grizzlies see the situation more as helping Morant heal than as a desire to punish their 23-year-old All-Star and face of the franchise.

“Jah takes responsibility for actually getting the help he needs to get better…” Jenkins said, later adding:

“We love him. You know we want the best for him. We support him. It’s going to be a difficult process. But you know, we’ve got a great group to go through with it.”

Udonis Haslem retains a unique place in the NBA, a mascot of the Heat and their culture who barely makes it to the court — he’s played 46 minutes this season — but whose influence in the locker room and organization can’t be overestimated.

Before this, his 20th season, Haslem said it would be his last. Haslem is not one of those guys who is shy of words, but if anyone doubted that he was moving away, he clarified in the comments on Anthony Chan from Miami Herald.

“I’m done,” Haslem said. “I’m done, no matter what happens. I have contributed. I think these guys should have a different voice at this stage. It’s time for someone to come forward and be a voice.”

Haslem will still have some voice in the organization, but it will be different. It will also be celebrated in several ways in the coming weeks and years: Later this month, section 305 of the (currently named) Miami Dade Arena will be referred to as the Haslem section for Mr. 305.. According to Pat Riley, the team will eventually take off his jersey.

How much longer this season for Haslem and the Heat will last remains to be seen. Widely regarded as secondary contenders and likely among the top six teams in the East this season, the Heat fell short of that score – with surprisingly poor three-point shooting, as well as injuries and depth issues – and sit seventh in the East. . 2.5 games behind the Nets and the last place to avoid the game. This season, Miami hasn’t been consistent enough to make anyone think he could make the top six or be a threat to the East’s top teams in the postseason.

This is a team that could use some more of Haslem’s words and locker room magic in the future.