Joel Embiid, reportedly suffering from Bell's palsy, gave the Philadelphia 76ers a much-needed win at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNEmbiid has been dealing with the condition since the April 17 play-in game against the Miami Heat. It is a condition characterized by weakness in certain facial muscles due to nerve trauma.
Embiid escaped an early ejection after pulling Mitchell Robinson down the court by his ankle.
Embiid dropped 50 points, a career high, while leading the 76ers to a 125-114 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series on Thursday. After winning both games at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks cut their lead in the series to one game.
Embiid told ESPN that the situation was “pretty annoying” and “unfortunate,” but added that he “had to make concessions.”
Joel Embiid escapes early ejection
The misconduct in question occurred in the first quarter. With New York leading 18-15, Knicks forward OG Anunoby knocked Embiid to the floor while attacking the basket. He then passed the ball to Robinson, who was standing over Embiid under the basket.
When Robinson jumped to get a drink, Embiid grabbed his right ankle and dragged him to the court. Robinson lost control of the ball, and the officials whistled Embiid for a foul.
Tempers flared, and Embiid and Knicks guard Donde DiVincenzo got in each other's faces and exchanged words. The players were separated and then the officials called for a replay, the third of a fiery first quarter.
After review, officers determined the contact was unnecessary and upgraded the call to Blagrant 1. He avoids a blatant 2, which automatically gets him out of the game.
According to the NBAA flaunt is defined as “necessary contact made by a player against an opponent”.
A clear 2 is defined as “unnecessary and excessive contact made by a player against an opponent”.
Embiid's contact, which pulled Robinson from mid-air to the court, could certainly be deemed “unnecessary and excessive,” but officials chose not to eject Philadelphia's All-NBA center.
Robinson avoided injury in the game and took the line for a pair of blatant free throws. A 40.9% free throw shooter, he missed both, and New York didn't take it down.
Although the game was tight for most of the first half, they scored 76 in the third quarter. Embiid had 18 of his 50 points in the quarter, which sent the 76ers into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead. He shot 7-of-8 from the field and hit four 3-pointers during that stretch, completely taking over the game. From there, Philadelphia rode on its double-digit lead the other way and held on to capture the 11-point victory.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points and 13 assists. Josh Hart finished with 20 points, and OG Anunoby added 17 points.
Embiid had eight rebounds and four assists for 50 points in the win for Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and seven assists, and Kelly Oubre finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
