Facing double teams at every turn, Joel Embiid is happy to facilitate and ‘play the right way’

Joel Embiid was excited.

You saw it in the way he pumped his fist and urged on the Wells Fargo Center crowd after his assists led to clutch three-pointers. You saw it by the strut in his steps after grabbing massive rebounds and blocking shots.

“It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him since I’ve been here with other guys making shots,” said Doc Rivers, who is in his third season as 76ers coach. “He was really celebrating his teammates tonight because of what [the Nets] were trying to do to him.

“I think that was a great statement for our team.”

Brooklyn double- and triple-teamed Embiid in its 96-84 Game 2 loss on Monday in the first-round series. It was the same tactic the Nets used two nights earlier in a lopsided Philly win.

And Embiid, who’s averaging just 13 shot attempts the series, loves it.

» READ MORE: Sixers-Nets Game 2 takeaways: Joel Embiid’s passing, irresistible Tyrese Maxey, physicality overflows

“A lot of people think I just love scoring the basketball, which I don’t think it’s true,” he said. “I enjoy winning, and doing whatever it takes to win.”

We’ll find out if the Nets change their defensive tactic when the teams meet for Game 3 Thursday night at the Barclays Center. But for now, their game plan is to let anyone but Embiid beat them.

On Monday, that resulted in a game-high 33 points for Tyrese Maxey. Meanwhile, Embiid finished with 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting along with 19 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

This marked Embiid’s second career postseason game with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. He joins Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain (20 times), Charles Barkley (five), and Dolph Schayes (five) as the only players in franchise history with multiple such games.

Embiid’s 20 points also moved him into ninth place on the Sixers’ career postseason scoring list, totaling 1,104 points and passing Darryl Dawkins. And 15 of Monday’s rebounds came in the first half, marking the most by a Sixer in a half of postseason play in 25 seasons.

If there was a blemish on Embiid’s performance, it was his eight turnovers. Several were the result of him trying to do too much while attempting to beat Brooklyn’s trapping defense. That’s something he’ll have to work on moving forward. Two were in the waning moments of the game when the Sixers were just running out the clock and Embiid basically handed the Nets the ball.

But, for now, Embiid is more than happy to see his teammates take advantage of the many double-teams the Nets sent in his direction.

» READ MORE: The Sixers waited to flip the switch against the Nets in Game 2, but they won’t have that luxury much longer

“I believe in playing the right way, which is getting your teammates involved,” he said. “[While playing against] double- and triple-teams, making sure everyone touches the ball and sees the ball. That’s what I believe in.

“It’s fun playing that way. Everybody’s happy. It doesn’t matter if I have four points as long as we score and guys are doing their job and making shots; that makes me happy.”

Embiid is averaging 23 points and 13 shots in the playoffs, which are down from his league-best 33.1 points per game on 20.1 shots in the regular season. However, he’s experienced an uptick in other areas, averaging 12.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks compared to 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks.

“It’s the playoffs,” Embiid said. “You got to do whatever it takes. I’m double-, triple-teamed. If I want, I can get a shot. Is it going to be a good shot? For me, I think so most of the time. You got to trust it and keep making the right plays.”