Joel Embiid takes over late in his return, leads 76ers to pivotal win over Thunder

Embiid took the lead for the Philadelphia 76ers with two free throws, then delivered a clutch steal, took it down and drew another foul to put Philly up three late.

There was talk that Embiid would be on a minutes restriction after rehabbing from his meniscus injury. But he ended up playing 29 minutes in the Sixers' 109-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, finishing with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

Embiid wasn't amazing from the field, shooting 6-of-14, but he was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. When the Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, keyed on Embiid, he did a great job of finding his teammates.

Speaking of those teammates, Tobias Harris his five three-pointers before falling apart down the stretch. Kelly Oubre Jr. was there to pick him up, scoring 17 of his 25 points in the final quarter to set the stage for Embiid's late heroics. The biggest play might have been his late and-one to put the Sixers ahead.

After the game, Oubre said his "heart dropped" when he heard Embiid would be returning, "Because I was scared for the other team."

With the Sixers still trying to climb out of eighth place and the play-in, and their MVP back on the floor, the other Eastern Conference playoff teams are likely scared for themselves.