Right from the jump, Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series between the No. 7 seeded Philadelphia 76ers and No. 3 seeded New York Knicks was supremely physical, particularly down low, where an injury-plagued Joel Embiid was battling against a foul-prone Karl-Anthony Towns.
Vehement complaints following calls and no-calls were part of a pivotal matchup that resulted in the Knicks taking a commanding, 3-0 lead in the series on the road.
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Embiid, who played despite an ankle sprain and hip soreness, was often seen pleading his case to refs throughout the night in Philadelphia. After the game, the seven-time All-Star and one-time NBA MVP was asked if he thought officials let more go than usual.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it was let go on our end,” Embiid told reporters, via SNY.
“They shot 32 free throws. We had 16. And we’re not a team that shoots a lot of 3s. We attack with the ball on the ground. So, yeah, I don’t know. I guess it’s good when New York wins.”
Embiid added: “We just got to have that mentality of just not fouling, I guess, and being smart enough to not put ourself in a position where they’re going to take advantage of it.”
Eight of the Knicks’ 32 free throws were attempted by backup center Mitchell Robinson, whom the Sixers have intentionally fouled at points of the series because of his putrid percentage at the charity stripe.
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Embiid notably got up only six free-throw attempts, his fewest in a game this postseason. When all was said and done, the Sixers were called for 25 fouls, four more than the Knicks. But, as Embiid mentioned, New York piled up twice as many free-throw attempts as Philadelphia during its 108-94 triumph in Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Embiid didn’t necessarily peg the Game 3 defeat on the free-throw disparity, though. He also discussed the effectiveness of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, especially when the Sixers have blitzed him, and how these games come down to shotmaking.
“I feel like we had a lot of good shots tonight. They made theirs, and we just didn’t make ours,” he said, via 94WIP’s Dave Uram.
Embiid finished with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts, and he pulled down just six rebounds on a night when Philadelphia was dominated on the glass, 49-33.
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“Rebounding [was] a big issue tonight, especially in the second quarter when they made that run,” Embiid said, via Uram. “So same mentality we had against Boston — just find your man. And most of the time it’s the guards, their guards just crashing. Instead of looking at the ball, just go toward your man and try to do the best job possible.”
A lot can change in a week. Last Saturday, the Sixers completed their first-ever 3-1 playoff comeback, finally slaying the rival Celtics in the postseason. This Saturday, Philadelphia is facing a 3-0 deficit versus New York.
Embiid’s herculean effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. The 32-year-old returned from an emergency appendectomy to help the Sixers stage their historic turnaround against Boston. Two weeks and change after Embiid’s late-season operation, he made his first appearance in the Celtics series. Then against the Knicks, he’s fought through a pair of new injuries, the latest in a career full of setbacks.
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“It means everything,” Philadelphia forward Paul George said of Embiid’s resilience, via Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin. “We know what he’s going through. We know how tough it is on his body and the work he’s putting in to get prepared to try to come out and play. We appreciate it.
“I think the fans appreciate it, Philadelphia appreciates it. It means a lot see 21 suited up and giving it a go.”
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