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Joel Embiid and Sixers beat Pelicans, 121-120, for fourth straight win

Embiid finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and seven turnovers. It was his 12th game this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Sixers  center Joel Embiid up against  Pelicans  big man Anthony Davis in the first quarter.
Sixers center Joel Embiid up against Pelicans big man Anthony Davis in the first quarter.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

Things are coming together for the 76ers.

Wednesday's 121-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Wells Fargo Center extended their winning streak to four games.

The win also marked their 20th straight victory at home dating back to last season. But this game came down to the final second.

Joel Embiid fouled Anthony Davis while he was trying to attempt a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left and the Sixers up, 121-118.  Davis made the first two foul shots before the third one rimmed out.  Embiid tipped the rebound away. Davis chased down the ball and was able to get off a shot that missed before the buzzer sounded.

"I think, to come out of with a win, the bottom line a win, is fantastic," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We're 10-0 at home [this season]. I think they've won six out of the past seven games."

On this night, Embiid squared off with Davis in the battle of All-Star centers.

Box score

Embiid finished with game highs of 31 points and 19 rebounds to go with two assists, two blocks and seven turnovers. It marked his 12th game this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. It also was his 18th double-double of the season.

Dominating from the start, the 7-foot-2, 270-pounder scored 15 of his points in the first quarter.  He scored eight of the Sixers' first 10 points and 11 of their first 15.

Following his lead, the Sixers led 38-23 after one quarter.

"I was getting the ball a lot and I was doing my job," Embiid said of the start. "You know that's dominant, you know defensively they're the best defensive team in the league. And … I got involved and you know, we made a run."

Meanwhile, Davis had his worst shooting night of the season. He made 4 of 13 shots en route to finishing with 12 points. Davis did, however, have 16 rebounds, six assists, five steals, and five blocks.

Ben Simmons was the second-leading scorer with 22 points to go with eight rebounds, two blocks, and six turnovers.

Reserve Landry Shamet added a career-high 15 points, while Jimmy Butler (13 points),  JJ Redick (13), and Wilson Chandler  (13) were the team's other double-digit scorers.

The Sixers are 13-7 and trail Toronto (15-4) by 2.5 games in the Atlantic Division.

Former Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday paced the Pelicans with 30 points and 10 assists.  E'Twaun Moore also had 30 points.

The Sixers traded Holiday the night of the 2013 draft for Nerlens Noel and a future draft pick. That future pick enabled them to acquire Dario Saric. Saric and Noel are no longer with the team.

The Sixers included Saric in a trade package to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Butler and Justin Patton. They traded Noel to the Dallas Mavericks two seasons ago.

Brown was hired two months after Holiday was traded. Before that, he was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs. Among his responsibilities was doing scouting reports on the Sixers.

"I was an enormous fan," Brown said of Holiday. "He is a big guard that is a combo. He can guard. He's good people. He can make shots, and I didn't understand the trade."