Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers to a much-needed victory Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
He also grabbed Mitchell Robinson by the ankle and dragged him down the court, narrowly avoiding an early ejection.
Embiid dropped a postseason career-high 50 points while leading the 76ers to a 125-114 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the playoff series on Thursday. The Knicks won both contests at Madison Square Garden and now cut their lead in the series to one game.
Joel Embiid avoids early ejection
The incident in question occurred in the first quarter. With New York leading 18-15, Knicks forward OG Anunoby slammed Embiid to the floor while attacking the basket. He then passed the ball to Robinson, who was standing over Embiid under the basket.
As Robinson jumped for a dunk, Embiid grabbed his right ankle and pulled him onto the court. Robinson lost control of the ball and officials whistled Embiid for a foul.
A tantrum flared, and Embiid and Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo got into each other's faces and exchanged words. The players were separated, and then officials called for a replay review of the third of the intense first quarter.
As a result of the review, officials determined that the contact was unnecessary and upgraded the incident to Violation 1. He avoided violation 2, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection from the match.
According to the NBA, a flagrant is defined as “necessary contact made by a player with an opponent.”
Malicious 2 is defined as “unnecessary and excessive contact that a player makes with an opponent.”
While Embiid's contact that dragged Robinson onto the court through the air could certainly be interpreted as “unnecessary and excessive,” officials chose not to eject Philadelphia's All-NBA center.
Robinson avoided injury on the play and stood at the line for a flagrant free throw. Although he shot 40.9 percent from free throws, he missed both and New York didn't score on the ensuing possession.
The game was close for much of the first half, but the 76ers came back in the third quarter. Embiid scored 18 of his 50 points in the quarter, and the 76ers entered the fourth with a 13-point lead. He took complete control of the game, making 7 of 8 field goals and making 4 3-pointers along the way. From there, Philadelphia held a double-digit lead the rest of the way, earning 11 points.
Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 13 assists in the Knicks loss while making 13 of 27 from the field. Josh Hart scored 20 points and OG Anunoby added 17 points.
Embiid had 8 rebounds and 4 assists for 50 points in Philadelphia's victory. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and seven assists, and Kelly Oubre had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
