Joel Embiid played 49 minutes in the Sixers overtime loss to the Thunder

After starting the season on a minutes restriction, Joel Embiid logged 49 minutes in the Philadelphia 76ers triple-overtime loss to the Thunder.

Wow, what a game.

In easily the team’s longest game of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers gave the Oklahoma City Thunder everything they had in what would ultimately be a losing effort.

After fight tooth and nail for the vast majority of the evening, fatigue ultimately set in for the Sixers, resulting in a 119-117 triple-overtime loss at Wells Fargo Center. While there are many interesting storylines to follow following the game, arguably the most exciting thing to come out of the loss was Joel Embiid‘s performance.

Simply put, Embiid was the best player on the court in a game that also featured Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George.

While Embiid didn’t record a double-double in the overtime loss, he did record 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a remarkable 49 minutes of action.

49 minutes.

When you consider that Embiid began the season on a 24 minute restriction, and still doesn’t play in back-to-back games, the fact that Embiid played more minutes than a regulation NBA game in front of his home crowd cannot be understated.

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Now granted, Embiid did look pretty tired in overtime, often looking physically winded when the action lapsed, but it didn’t stop the young seven-footer from making his presence known.

In the twilight of the game, Embiid went coast to coast and blocked a would-be game-winning shot, launching himself into the crowd in the process.  While this effort obviously didn’t result in a win, something that every Philly fan wished had happened, it was encouraging to see that how far this team has come in such a short period of time.

In a game that the 76ers would have surely lost last season without much of a fight, Coach Brown‘s squad gave it their all and left it all on the court, and it would not have been possible without a brilliant performance by Embiid, in a game that he was questionable to even play in, due to a back injury that held him out of the team’s previous game.

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Hopefully, this is a sign that Embiid can finally start playing in back-to-back games. One can hope.