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Covington Hits Big 3, Lifts Sixers To 93-92 Win Over Blazers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Robert Covington scored 22 points and made two 3-pointers in the final 40 seconds to lead the streaking Philadelphia 76ers to a come-from-behind 93-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Ersan Ilyasova scored 24 points and Joel Embiid added 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists before leaving the game with an injury for the Sixers, who have won four straight and eight of their last 10.

Embiid, who sparked the recent surge, suffered a bruised left knee in the second half and didn't play the final 8:50 of the game.

But the Sixers rallied for the victory without their prized center as Covington drilled the winner with 4.5 seconds left before Mason Plumlee missed a shot at the buzzer on the other end. It was Covington's second game-winning basket this month after his buzzer-beater sunk the Timberwolves on Jan. 4.

Damian Lillard scored 30 points for the Blazers, who have lost four straight. C.J. McCollum had 16 points and Plumlee finished with 14.

Trailing by 13 at the half, the Sixers charged back to take their first lead of the game at 66-65 with 3:23 left in the third quarter on Covington's three-point play. Covington later hit a 3-pointer to pull Philly within one at 91-90 with 38.2 seconds remaining in the game after the Blazers led for almost all of the fourth quarter while Embiid sat on the bench.

Embiid's injury occurred midway through the third quarter when he came down awkwardly after a thunderous dunk, bringing a hush to the nervous crowd. The star center, who missed his first two NBA seasons because of injuries, came back in to start the fourth quarter to massive cheers and "Trust the Process" chants from a near-sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

But Embiid only played a few more minutes before the Sixers decided to sit their franchise center for the remainder of the game for precautionary reasons. His streak of 10 straight games with 20 points or more was snapped.

Embiid, the Rookie of the Year front-runner who has helped revived basketball in Philadelphia after three miserable seasons, struggled early against Plumlee, missing his first three shots and scoring only three points in the first quarter.

Lillard, meanwhile, was on fire early for Portland. He scored nine points in the first 4 ½ minutes and finished with 16 points in the first quarter to help Portland take a 33-22 lead after one.

The Blazers maintained their double-digit advantage for most of the second quarter before taking a 56-43 lead into halftime.

TIP-INS

Blazers: Portland dropped to 7-18 on the road this season, which includes a 5-11 mark vs. the Eastern Conference. . Former Sixer Evan Turner, who played in Philly from 2010 to 2014, scored four points on 2-for-10 shooting and was booed every time he touched the ball.

76ers: The Sixers signed Chasson Randle to a second 10-day contract before the game. Since initially being signed on Jan. 9, Randle has appeared in two games for Philly and had 10 points in 16 minutes in Monday's win over Milwaukee. "He really adds to what we're trying to build," coach Brett Brown said. "He's a high-character guy." . After learning Embiid wasn't named an

Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game, Brown said he'll get to work trying to help convince fellow coaches to name him a reserve. "I think Joel is gonna slide in there," the Sixers coach said. "I think the people that are now going to close the deal understand how unique and special he is."

UP NEXT

Blazers: Close a four-game road trip at Boston on Saturday.

76ers: Visit Atlanta on Saturday night to try to beat the Hawks for the first time in six matchups.

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