The Philadelphia 76ers emerged victorious 111-106 over the San Antonio Spurs Monday night, but the win was overshadowed by a chaotic first half that saw star center Joel Embiid ejected after plowing into prized rookie Victor Wembanyama. The incident sparked disgust from the Philadelphia faithful and encapsulated an officiating performance that left both teams and fans shaking their heads.
Embiid’s Early Exit
With under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Embiid drove to the basket in transition as the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama rotated over to defend. The two giants collided, sending Wembanyama sprawling to the hardwood as Embiid was whistled for a charging foul. Incredulous at the call, the 76ers’ cornerstone pleaded his case to referee Jenna Schroeder, earning a swift technical foul for his protestations.
Embiid’s frustrations boiled over as he charged toward the officials near the Philadelphia bench. Teammates Kyle Lowry and multiple assistants had to physically restrain the irate center as Schroeder assessed a second technical foul, triggering an automatic ejection. It was just Embiid’s second career ejection and an ignominious end to a night that saw him struggle to a 2-for-8 shooting performance while wearing a protective mask in just his second game back from a sinus fracture.
Drummond’s Rescinded Rejection
The Embiid ejection was the climax of a bizarre first-half stretch that began with Andre Drummond, Embiid’s backup, being sent to the showers himself. With just over eight minutes left in the half, Drummond was assessed a technical foul for pushing Wembanyama to the floor as they jostled for position. Seconds later, Drummond appeared to shove the French phenom again, prompting Schroeder to ring him up for a second tech and an ejection.
Or so it seemed. After video review, the officials rescinded Drummond’s second technical foul and ejection, allowing the bewildered big man to sheepishly return from the locker room tunnel while hastily putting his jersey back on. In another twist, Wembanyama was initially assessed a technical foul of his own for an “unsportsmanlike flop” on the play, with Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey converting the free throw before the call was overturned and the point wiped off.
Philly Faithful Fume
The Embiid ejection sent the Philadelphia crowd into a frenzy, with a chorus of boos raining down every time Wembanyama touched the ball for the remainder of the contest. The anger reached a comical crescendo when the 76ers’ attempts to placate the masses with a t-shirt giveaway were met with nothing but jeers and vitriol.
The scene was surreal. I’ve never heard a crowd boo a t-shirt toss like that before.
– Tyrese Maxey
Rising Above the Chaos
To the 76ers’ credit, they managed to pull themselves together and gut out a hard-fought win despite the drama. Maxey led the way with 26 points while James Harden chipped in 20 points and 12 assists. On the other side, Spurs rookie Julian Champagnie impressed with 20 points and 6 rebounds while a visibly rattled Wembanyama managed just 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting to go with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
- Key for the 76ers: Keeping composure through adversity
- Spurs’ silver lining: Flashes from young role players
Controversy Clouds Contest
As satisfying as the victory was for Philadelphia, it will likely be remembered more for the officiating circus that overshadowed it. From the rescinded ejection to the technical foul flip-flopping to the game-altering Embiid ouster, Schroeder and her crew are sure to face intense scrutiny in the coming days.
I’ve been at this a long time and I’m still not sure what I just saw out there tonight. We’re going to need a long, hard look at this one.
– Doc Rivers, 76ers Coach
The NBA’s two-minute report will be highly anticipated to see if any of the night’s many controversial calls are overturned in the cold light of day. But no matter what it says, it can’t give back the lost minutes to Embiid or erase the memory of one of the strangest halves in recent league history. The Sixers will take the win, but the aftermath of this one could linger far longer than the glow of victory.
