Fireworks are flying in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid was ejected in the second quarter of the 76’ers 111-106 victory against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, however the MVP did not exit quietly.
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Embiid was upset after a charging foul went against him, as he believed it was a blocking foul on Wembanyama.
The referee called a charge and Embiid ran up to her and got extremely close to her face to argue the call.
The referee gave Embiid a tech, which the center then proceeded to argue aggressively until the referee felt like Embiid had crossed the line.
Embiid was irate and had to be held back by his coaches and teammates, as he ripped off his mask in frustration and couldn’t believe he was thrown from the game.
The MVP lost his cool for a moment.
It wasn’t the most egregious sequence, but it definitely was over the top.
Overall, it’s been a disappointing season up to this point for Embiid and the 76’ers, and the frustration finally boiled over.
They have stumbled out to a 10-17 record, good for 12th in the East.
Embiid has missed large chunks of the season already due to injury and load management.
He signed a 3-year, $193M extension before the season, and had extremely high expectations going into the year.
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The Sixers also signed superstar Paul George over the summer, in hopes of pairing him with Embiid to help get over the hump.
Embiid has never reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
This was supposed to be the year.
It very well still can be, as it is early, but so far, so bad.
And it’s clearly wearing thin on the shoulders of Embiid.
After the game, Embiid came back out of the tunnel to celebrate with his team, specifically star Tyrese Maxey, who put the game on ice at the end with a huge three to put Philadelphia up four.
The Sixers will now travel to Boston and play the defending champion Boston Celtics on Christmas Day on a national stage.
Everyone will be watching, with all eyes on how Embiid rebounds from his ejection.
