This Week In Philly Sports: Embiid's Near-Legendary Shot

PHILADELPHIA, PA — It's been a topsy turvy week in Philly sports, as the Sixers lost a string of games despite some tough play and a near miraculous comeback. They remain tied for first place. The Phillies nearly blew two leads in a homestead against San Francisco, but they took one out of three. They remain tied for first place.

The Flyers are not tied for first place.

Here's a glance at highlights from the past week.

Legendary buzzer beater just misses

In what would've been one of the most improbable and incredible plays in basketball history, Joel Embiid grabbed a rebound in the closing milliseconds of a game this week against the Suns. Trailing by three, the Sixers needed a three to tie it.

With one hand, Embiid tossed the ball like a quarterback amid a moil of defenders the length of the court, where it jiggled in the rim and nearly fell in before bouncing away.

The Sixers lost the close one to Phoenix, one of the best teams in the NBA, 116-113. They sit tied with Brooklyn atop the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games ahead of Milwaukee.

Embiid is larger than life, in so many ways

What other NBA superstar has been honored with a giant portrait of their face made out of Rubik's cubes? While the answer to that question may never be known, it's fair to say no model is more fit for such a coronation than the 76ers big man.

Avid fans used a total of 768 cubes in this stunning likeness of Philly's MVP, ESPN reports:

Harper continues extraterrestrial April

Throughout his career, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper has always been a hot hitter in the first month of the season. This year has been no exception.

Over the past 7 days, Harper is batting .458, with a .552 on base percentage, .792 slugging percentage, and a 1.360 OPS.

Knapp walks it off

Phillies backup catcher Andrew Knapp often gets overshadowed by the man in front of him, J.T. Realmuto, who is not only widely considered baseball's best catcher, but also it's most durable.

As a result, "Knappy" rarely gets a chance to start, and he's fit into a pinch hitter-late inning substitute role over the past two seasons. And, quietly, he's flourished.

Knapp got his chance in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game against the Giants this week. With Harper on second base, the switch-hitting Knapp slugged a line drive into left field to seal the Phillies win in dramatic fashion:

This Week in Philly Sports is a weekly dispatch covering the wildest, the weirdest, and the greatest sports city in America. Have something you'd like to see here? Email justin.heinze@patch.com.