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Where Joel Embiid has the edge on Shaq | Sports Daily Newsletter

Embiid was rewarded by fans for his dominant season with a fifth straight starting nod in the All-Star Game.

Another season, another All-Star Game starting nod for the Sixers’ Joel Embiid. In results announced on Thursday night, he was voted to start in the midseason exhibition for the fifth straight year, the most by a Sixers since Allen Iverson started seven straight from 2000-06.

Not that voters needed much convincing, but Embiid is on a run that shows he should be considered among the game’s elites. Embiid joined Shaquille O’Neal (1999-00) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17) as the only players in the last 30 seasons to average at least 34 points and 10 rebounds over an 18-game stretch.

Oh, and Shaq? Embiid has an edge on the Hall of Fame center, according to Sixers guard Danny Green.

“You know he’s Shaq with footwork and touch,” Green said. “We’ve never seen a big man with guard skills like him.”

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

Where does Embiid rank among the all-time great Sixers? Tell us what you think and why: sports.daily@inquirer.com

Off the Dribble

When Joel Embiid was named an All-Star starter on TNT, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Co. discussed the Sixers star’s amazing season and called him the MVP of the 2021-22 season thus far.

The numbers support their assertion, and The Inquirer’s David Murphy neatly packaged the evidence as he looked at the big man’s MVP-level run. To quickly name a few: Embiid became one of three players in the last 30 years to average at least 34 points and 10 rebounds over an 18-game stretch; he scored 31 points in 14 of his last 15 and in 16 of his last 18; and he entered Thursday’s game averaging 29.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Not too bad.

Embiid collected 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists Thursday night as the Sixers ran past the Lakers, 105-87. LeBron James sat this one out.

Next: The Sixers play the Kings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Extra Innings

New Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long likes to get out and work with his players during the offseason. Last winter when he was with the Nationals, he helped Kyle Schwarber tweak his stance, which helped him produce a 32-homer season. The same kind of attention was planned for Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, who followed up a Rookie of the Year runner-up season with a disappointing 2021. But for the last eight weeks, Bohm has been shut out from Long and everyone else in the organization as the MLB lockout rolls on. Games might not have been wiped out yet because of baseball’s latest labor strife, but that doesn’t mean nothing has been lost.

  1. This prospect might be the Phillies’ best, and there’s “no question” he’ll stay at catcher even if he’s blocked by a three-time All-Star.

On the Fly

Another game, another debutant.

After Linus Sandin made his NHL debut on Tuesday against the New York Islanders, the Flyers called up Isaac Ratcliffe on Thursday in preparation for him to do the same on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.

The first thing you will notice about Ratcliffe is his size, as at 6-foot-6, he is the Flyers’ tallest player. A second-round pick in 2017, Ratcliffe has played the last three seasons with the Phantoms, and has tallied four goals and 10 points in 31 games this season.

“He’s been putting the work in,” interim head coach Mike Yeo said. “Had a real good weekend last weekend. So excited to see what he can do.”

Next: The Flyers are back on home ice Saturday against the Kings (1 p.m., NBCSP). Having lost 13 straight, they will be looking to avoid inching closer to some unwanted history. The NHL’s all-time longest losing streak is 18 games, shared by the 2021 Buffalo Sabres and 2004 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleet Street

The U.S. men’s national team faced El Salvador on the frigid field of Columbus, Ohio, and in somewhat unspectacular fashion, won the game and secured three crucial points in World Cup qualifying.

Meanwhile, the Union have signed a quality striker! It’s Mikael Uhre, the top-scoring forward in the Danish league, and he’s eager to prove himself in MLS. Jonathan Tannenwald sizes up what could be a game-changing acquisition.

Worth a look

  1. Drexel success in true Philly style: Amy Mallon might not be a Philadelphia native, but she has been a basketball staple in the city for 20 years and has the Dragons in first place.

  2. Simpson’s next challenge: Derek Simpson, who has become Lenape’s all-time leading scorer, now is eyeing his next feat: competing in the Big Ten for Rutgers.

  3. Transforming Temple’s season: Damian Dunn has filled the offensive void left by Khalif Battle’s season-ending injury, providing reliable shooting and late-game heroics.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Keith Pompey, Scott Lauber, Mike Jensen, Isabella DiAmore, Joey Piatt, Giana Han, Rob Tornoe and Jonathan Tannenwald.