Embiid leads 76ers to 123-114 victory over Kings

All five Philadelphia starters scored 18 or more points Friday night, propelling the 76ers to a 123-114 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings. Joel Embiid had 21 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, while teammate Jimmy Butler collected seven assists to complement a game-high 22 points as the 76ers (44-25) moved back into a tie with idle Indiana (44-25) for the No. 3 playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

Sacramento (33-35) lost a third straight contest, including its second in two nights. The Kings were beaten 126-120 at Boston on Thursday. En route to their third straight win, the 76ers led by as many as 10 in the first quarter, 11 in the second and 13 in third, but couldn't put the visitors away until the final minute. The Kings clawed within 116-112 on a 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes with 3:38 remaining in the game, and hung within 119-114 after a dunk by Willie Cauley-Stein with 2:35 left. But Sacramento never scored again, missing its last three shots and mixing in a turnover.

Meanwhile, Embiid capped his 21-point effort with a jumper and Butler put the finishing touches on his 22-point night with a jumper. Starters Tobias Harris (19 points), J.J. Redick (19) and Ben Simmons (18) also scored 18 or more points for the 76ers, who completed a perfect three-game homestand. In its three-team battle for the Nos. 3-5 playoff spots in the East with Indiana and Boston, Philadelphia will play nine of its final 13 games on the road. Barnes and De'Aaron Fox had 16 points apiece for the Kings, who had beaten the 76ers four times in a row and were looking for their second consecutive season-series sweep.

Marvin Bagley III chipped in with 15 points for Sacramento, while Buddy Hield had 14, Cauley-Stein added 13 and Harry Giles III tallied 12. Cauley-Stein grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Fox had a team-high six assists. The 76ers outshot the Kings 50.5 percent to 45.7. The loss concluded a four-game trip for the Kings that began with a win at New York. Sacramento, which had recorded a 115-108 home win over the 76ers last month, currently sits ninth in the Western playoff race.

(With inputs from agencies.)