Joel Embiid returns in style, pouring in 34 as Sixers top Hornets

Sixers star Joel Embiid was in top form when he returned to the starting lineup Friday night, scoring 34 points to lead Philadelphia to a 108-98 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets.

Embiid, back from a one-game absence due to a sinus fracture, will sit out the second part of the Sixers’ back-to-back Saturday in Cleveland, according to head coach Nick Nurse.

Wearing a black mask Friday night, Embiid scored 24 of his points in the second half for the Sixers, who have won four of their last five games. He was 12-of-24 from the field and added 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 31 minutes.

Embiid was injured last Friday when he was hit in the face by Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin while going for a defensive rebound. He sat out his team’s 121-108 win over the Hornets on Monday.

Friday was just the seventh game this season for Embiid, who has been plagued by a sore knee.