PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Basketball fans almost never marvel over missed shots, but Sixers MVP candidate Joel Embiid proved it's possible Wednesday night.
Trailing the Phoenix Suns by three points with .8 seconds remaining, Embiid leaped in the air and, with two hands, grabbed the rebound of Chris Paul's missed free throw off the front of the rim. The instant Embiid's feet touched the floor, he heaved the ball with his right hand in one fluent motion 67 feet to the other end of the court, hoping to force overtime.
He was oh so close.
Embiid's valiant attempt banked off the backboard and rimmed out. The 7-foot center fell to the floor in disbelief.
"When I threw it, it looked good," he said afterward.
"I saw the screen shot, and it looked like it went in and out, and that's just unfortunate."
Paul said he wasn't trying to miss the second free throw and had never seen anything like Embiid's heave attempt going in and out of the hoop.
The shorthanded Sixers — missing Ben Simmons (non COVID illness), Tobias Harris (right knee soreness) and Seth Curry (left hip flexor recovery) — almost forced overtime against a Phoenix team that improved to 42-16.
Even after the defeat, the Wells Fargo Center crowd chanted "MVP" in support of their star, who scored 38 points with 17 rebounds, but committed eight of the team's 17 costly turnovers.
Video showing Embiid's heave went viral online and sparked a lot of reaction.
Embiid's near make also inspired jokes about the 76ers' South Philadelphia neighbor, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Earlier on Wednesday, new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni did not name Jalen Hurts the team's starting quarterback after only a couple days of the offseason program. Sirianni reiterated his core value of competition.
