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Joel Embiid has Philadelphia 76ers fans finally enjoying basketball again.

The rookie star center led the Sixers to a 94-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, giving Philadelphia their seventh win over the last nine games. That’s particularly incredible when you consider that the Sixers won a total of 18 games last season.

And you could actually say that it was more of Embiid carrying the Sixers over the Eastern Conference’s second-best team. Embiid had a game-high 26 points, and had a plus/minus of +20 in the five-point win. Think what you will about plus/minus, but that’s a sign that he did a lot of things right in a close game, when no other Sixer was over +10 on the evening.

Embiid also became the second Sixer in history to score at least 20 points in 10 straight games:

Highlights of his big night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkT4DtN37zk

Sixers fans are certainly trusting the process now, and Embiid wanted them to make that clear while he was at the free throw line (he went 12-of-14 on free throws, by the way). On (at least) two separate occasions during the game, the crowd at Wells Fargo Center chanted “TRUST-THE-PROCESS”, and Embiid then motioned for them to get louder. This is awesome:

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/821888024845819904

Embiid is not just a special talent (he was compared to a young Shaq by Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey), but he’s one of the most entertaining guys in the league right now, and he’s quickly become a big-time fan favorite in Philadelphia.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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