The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 109-107, at Wells Fargo Center on Friday evening.

The 76ers (46-21) and the Pelicans (30-37) played a tight contest Friday and at one point it seemed the Pelicans were ready to pull the upset against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Sixers adjusted right before it was too late and came away with the win after coming from behind in the fourth quarter. It's worth noting Philadelphia got off to a stronger start and secured a 32-21 lead following the first quarter and bolstered that advantage even further following a 38-33 score in the second quarter, but New Orleans flipped the script in the second half and grabbed a three-point lead after limiting the Sixers to just 18 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half (37-18). New Orleans couldn't hold on and the Sixers mounted a fourth-quarter comeback late in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pelicans by a 21-16 score in the final 12 minutes of action. It was a closer game than anyone would have expected it, but the Sixers responded to their tag of favorites and came away with the win.

Joel Embiid had an excellent performance for the Sixers and finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds, while Ben Simmons dished out 10 dimes to go along with nine rebounds and eight points. Tobias Harris had 17 points, and Seth Curry contributed 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. George Hill added 11 points off the bench. Dwight Howard had four points with nine boards.

Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe each led the Pelicans with 18 points, as both had bigger roles on offense with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both sidelined due to injuries. Jaxson Hayes was the team's highest scorer, however, as he notched 19 points coming off the bench. Willy Hernangomez had 11 points with nine rebounds, and James Johnson added 10 points. Kira Lewis Jr. had 13 points off the bench.