PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid, who has been playing at an MVP level so far this season, has missed a few games because of his back.
The 13-6 Sixers, who currently sit atop the Eastern Conference, are winless when Embiid doesn’t play. It will be interesting to see whether Embiid plays Friday night at the 4-13 Minnesota Timberwolves, who sport the worst record in the Western Conference.
Embiid took a very hard — and frankly, hard to watch — spill during the Sixers’ 107-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.
While Embiid was in mid-air attempting a dunk, Lakers superstar LeBron James extended his arms into Embiid’s stomach as the ball was well above Embiid’s head — arguably a bang-bang play. Embiid could not catch himself as he landed on the floor, back first.
Without spectators in the building, Embiid’s pain was very audible.
The referees charged James with a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1, which is more severe than a common foul. James is not a dirty player, but Embiid was evidently unhappy afterward. He commented on it postgame at the 1:24 mark below:
“That’s a very dangerous play,” he said, “and I guarantee you that if it was me, I would’ve probably been ejected from the game, which has happened in the past with me getting flagrant fouls really for nothing.”
If James was charged a Flagrant 2, he would have been ejected.
“I just thought it should’ve been a Flagrant 2,” Embiid added.
Embiid said the condition of his back affected his legs as the game went on, thus impacting his performance. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers agreed that Embiid wasn’t the same.
“First of all, LeBron’s not a dirty player. It was just a physical play and they had to call the flagrant, I guess. All the flagrants tonight, you can get a flagrant easy these days.”
Shortly after Embiid’s spill, he was charged a Flagrant 1 for his elbow catching Anthony Davis in the face as he was trying to make a move to the basket.
Embiid disagreed with the infraction, claiming, “I didn’t really, I didn’t hit him. I didn’t elbow him. I might’ve touched him but I don’t think it deserved a flagrant.”
Reporters did not ask James afterward about his flagrant foul on Embiid.
The Sixers won despite coughing up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead. Tobias Harris was the hero by draining the game-winning bucket in the final seconds. Embiid still scored 28 points despite being critical of his play down the stretch.
James finished with 34, and the debate rolls on — flagrant fouls aside — which player is more worthy of being the league’s Most Valuable Player at this very early portion of the season.