Embiid hits 50 points as Sixers sink Wizards

LOS ANGELES, United States -- Joel Embiid shrugged off the lingering effects of illness to score 50 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 131-126 in the NBA on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time.)

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid missed the Sixers' last two games due to ill health but returned with a bang to deliver a season-high performance in a slender victory on the road.

It was the second monster performance by Embiid against the Wizards this season after the Cameroon-born star dropped 48 points against Washington on November 6.

Embiid, who also had 13 rebounds and seven assists, revealed after Wednesday's win he was still not fully fit.

"I didn't feel good. My chest was killing me," Embiid said. "I started to feel better in the second half but I was struggling."

The win saw the Sixers improve to 13-7 to remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, two games back from top-of-the-table Boston.

Tyrese Maxey backed Embiid with 26 points while De'Anthony Melton added 19.

Jordan Poole led the Washington scorers with 23 points as the Wizards slumped to their 17th defeat of the season to remain second from bottom in the East.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Nikola Jokic bagged a triple double but was unable to stop the NBA champion Denver Nuggets falling to a 111-102 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Nuggets sprinted into a 15-point lead early in the first quarter, but Los Angeles roared back with a 40-point second quarter before outscoring Denver 32-20 in the fourth to complete an impressive win.

Jokic finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists with Jamal Murray leading the Denver scoring with 23 points.

But the Clippers powered to victory behind 25 points from Paul George -- including five three-pointers -- with James Harden chipping in with 20.

In other games,  Luka Doncic put on a show with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- including a first-half triple-double -- as the Dallas Mavericks pounded the Utah Jazz 147-97.

Doncic's virtuoso performance -- the 60th triple-double of his career -- helped take him past the legendary Larry Bird into ninth place on the NBA's all-time rankings for triples.

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