The Philadelphia 76ers-San Antonio was game like no other after bizarre events in the second quarter that led to ejection of Joel Embiid.
The Sixers won the game despite the loss of their best player but fans still can’t help but talk about how the game was officiated. Many thought they were deprived of a great battle between two superstars in Embiid and Victor Wembanyama.
Nick Nurse thought the series of events that led to the eject of Embiid, as well as the rescinded ejection of his backup center Joel Embiid was strange.
“Just the whole thing was really strange,” he told reporters post-game.
At the center of the controversial calls are the alleged flopping by Wembanyama.
Nurse did not say that the Spurs star indeed flopped to get an offensive foul call in his favor but he believes the contacts were strong enough to bring the player down.
“Without looking at the tape to see what was actually going on there, I doubt that [Wemby] was going down because of such aggressive pushing… All 3 of the calls seemed really strange to me but on we go.”
Nick Nurse denied explanation by refs concerning Joel Embiid
Drummond’s ejection was taken back. The referee behind it admitted in a video during the game that he messed up with the call.
NBA ref Jenna Schroeder:
“I fu*ked up.”
(via @NikJohnson_Art, h/t @OnPattison)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 24, 2024
As for Embiid’s ejection, many are still asking for an explanation.
Nurse asked for one but he said the referees he tried to talk to just make him go from one official to another.
“I didn’t really get an explanation for it,” he said.
“I couldn’t really get to the referee that called it. So I was asking the other guys, and they were saying, ‘ask her.’ … I never did find out, just assumed it was arguing.”
Emotions in the Sixers organization would have been more negative had the team lost.
As Nurse said, they are moving on.
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