Joel Embiid and James Harden make up the engine of the most potent offense in the NBA. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers’ blowout win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday wasn’t exactly devoid of drama. The franchise that gave us GM burners, normal collars and the mysterious disappearance of multiple No. 1 draft picks’ ability to shoot briefly induced hyperventilation throughout Delco when Joel Embiid — MVP favorite and franchise standard-bearer — went into the locker room at halftime and just … never came out.
After more-pulse-pounding-than-usual stints from reserve bigs Paul Reed and Dewayne Dedmon as the Sixers held the Bulls at bay, the word came down on the Sixers’ broadcast: “Because of the score differential, Joel will not return.” You certainly wouldn’t blame Philly fans if they had some notes about how the franchise communicated that Embiid was taking the rest of the night off with mild calf tightness; it’s worth noting, though, that the off-court intrigue stemmed directly from the lack of any on the floor. Even with James Harden resting a sore Achilles tendon, the Sixers absolutely crushed Chicago with a game-opening 23-1 run, effectively ending the game in less than five minutes.
It was an extreme example, I’ll grant, but it sure felt like a tidy encapsulation of the way Philadelphia has been destroying defenses for months.
After a momentary early-season spasm, the Sixers quickly clicked into place, owning the NBA’s best record since Dec. 1, thanks in large part to an overwhelming offense that ranks first in the league in offensive efficiency in that span. They’ve elevated to an even higher level of late, too: Behind Embiid’s MVP push and Tyrese Maxey’s return to the starting lineup after spending more than a month coming off the bench, Philly’s scoring a scorching 128 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in March, according to Cleaning the Glass.
Since the start of the month, the gap between the Sixers’ league-best offense and the No. 2-ranked Kings is about the same as the difference between Sacramento and No. 14 Dallas. And it’s…
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