Joel Embiid had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers, who impressed early in Friday’s game and wound up beating the Boston Celtics 111-99.
Embiid fell five points short of breaking a franchise record with nine straight games scoring 30 or more. He resigned himself to a tie at eight with Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain.
The meeting was practically defined with a 28-2 attack by Philadelphia in the first period.
Tyrese Maxey had 23 points, while Tobias Harris and Seth Curry added 17 apiece. Philadelphia won for the eighth time in nine games.
Jaylen Brown had 21 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 for Boston, which had won three games.
Both teams will also play this Saturday. To prevent fatigue, Boston coach Ime Udoka retired his starters with 9:17 remaining, with the score 89-72 in favor of Philadelphia.
The Sixers held a 22-point lead in the first half and the Celtics never got closer than 10 after the break.
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