Joel Embiid was unhappy with the officiating in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 108-94 Game 3 loss to the New York Knicks. The 76ers face a tall task, down 0-3, to overturn this series and reach the conference finals for the first time in the Embiid era. The former MVP was seemingly frustrated after losing the latest game and took it out on the free-throw disparity as New York attempted 16 more free throws than Philly.
Here’s what Embiid said:
“They shot 32 free throws, we had 16. We’re not a team that shoots a lot of threes. We attack, put the ball on the ground. I don’t know. I
Embiid followed it up with a snarky comment on the NBA potentially favoring the Knicks, saying:
“I guess it’s good when New York wins, so we’ve just got to have that mentality of just not fouling, I guess, and being smart enough to not put ourselves in a position where they’re going to take advantage of it.”
Joel Embiid made six trips to the foul line, while his co-stars Tyrese Maxey and Paul George didn’t get a single attempt. On the other hand, Jalen Brunson led all players with nine free throw attempts, followed by Mitchell Robinson, who had eight.
The 76ers intentionally fouled Robinson because of his poor efficiency from the charity stripe, which further contributed to the disparity. Robinson made four, which was decent given his postseason average of 29.4% and season average of 40.8%.
Karl-Anthony Towns takes subtle jab at officiating after Joel Embiid wins a review
The officiating was slightly inconsistent in Game 3 between the 76ers and Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns faced a questionable instance when a tussle with Joel Embiid initially favored him with the referees, but the decision was overturned after a review. Towns ended up with his third foul early in the second quarter, which limited him from playing more in the first half.
The incident began with Towns and Embiid jostling for a rebound on an offensive possession for the Knicks. Embiid initiated contact by grabbing Towns’ jersey, who then pulled the 76ers star’s arm. As Embiid went down, he dragged Towns with him and both players landed on the floor.
The decision to overturn it left many confused, including Towns. However, during his post-game media session, the Knicks star kept his cool.
“I’m not surprised at anything anymore,” Towns said.
The Knicks and 76ers meet again in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon. The Knicks will have a chance to close the series on the road and complete the sweep.
