1:11 p.m. ET
Tim Bontemps ESPN
PHILADELPHIA — 76ers star Joel Embiid overheard Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse complaining about the way Embiid officiated in the teams opener of the first round playoff series on Saturday night.
After Embiid finished from the free throw line with 31 points, 11 rebounds and a 12-for-14 record — more free throws than Toronto’s entire team — he helped the 76ers take a 2-0 lead on Monday night. The tall All-Star man had a brief chat with Nurse on the touchline in front of Toronto’s bench in the dying seconds of Philadelphia’s 112-97 win.
What was Embiid’s message?
“He’s a great coach,” said Embiid. “Obviously he made it [a lot] and has always been a big fan.
“But I respectfully told him, I told him to stop making fun of calls.”
Embiid had 19 of those 31 points – and 12 of those free throw attempts – in the first quarter when he came out with a clear and obvious intention to impose his will on the game.
Embiid came into conflict with Raptors forward OG Anunoby in the opening minutes, resulting in both men receiving technical fouls. And then, after Toronto quickly took an 11-2 lead, the big man’s repeated forays into the paint put several Raptors in early trouble and saw Embiid wear down a path to the foul line.
“If you treble someone all game, inevitably they have to get to the free-throw line, or if you push them off and try to hold them and all that stuff, they’re tied and they get to the free-throw line,” Embiid said. “So I did feeling like every foul was real and honestly probably should have been more.”
For his part, Nurse disagreed. After saying after Game 1 that Embiid had hit his players in the face with three or four elbows – and should have been called out for several other fouls – Nurse said there was a slight improvement on Tuesday but not enough.
“At least we didn’t get as many elbows in our faces tonight as we had to endure,” said Nurse, tongue planted firmly in his cheek after expressing his frustration at what he took to be a clear attack call that came as Block was called the ground and then wasn’t knocked over when challenged.
As for his conversation with Embiid – a nurse was asked about the game during his availability before Embiid replied – he said there wasn’t much of it.
“He said to me, ‘I’ll keep taking all free throws if you keep fouling,'” Nurse said. “And I said, ‘Well, you might have to.’
“But a good player, man. I have great respect for him. He’s certainly playing great here.
The competition has been pretty one-sided so far. Toronto were without standout rookie Scottie Barnes after spraining his left ankle in Game 1 while Thaddeus Young played 8 ineffective minutes with a sprained left thumb.
Gary Trent Jr., meanwhile, played a pretty hopeless 10 minutes after being separated from the team with a non-COVID illness for the past two days, missing all three shots and committing four fouls. Nurse admitted after the game that Trent probably shouldn’t have even played, although he credited him with trying.
But Philadelphia, led by Embiid, imposed their physical will on Toronto for a second straight game. Tyrese Maxey (23 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) and Tobias Harris (20 points, 10 rebounds) played great for the second year in a row, and Philadelphia again won the rebound fight (41-35), shooting 52% from the field and shot took 30 free throws to Toronto’s 12.
It all started, however, with Embiid roaring several times in the first quarter as he and Fred VanVleet, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the first quarter, traded baskets throughout the quarter – a Toronto eventually ending in a lead by one, 33-32.
And while Philadelphia would finally take the lead early in the second quarter as they edged the Raptors by 12 points with Embiid on the bench, it was his physical play in the first quarter that set the tone for his teammates.
“He has made it known that we will not condone the bullying,” said 76ers forward Danny Green.
Embiid also picked up some injuries during the game, injuring his left foot near the end of the first half and his right (firing) elbow in the third quarter. He played through both injuries, however, downplaying the importance that affected his availability for Wednesday’s Game 3 in Toronto.
In fact, Embiid was already looking forward to the challenge of taking a 3-0 lead with this Raptors team and said he expects there could be fewer fouls in Game 3 – and that he’ll be ready to play even more aggressively . if necessary to ensure he continues to go to the line.
“Referees and the league, they’re the same,” said Embiid. “They will come in the next game and they will let things go. So, you know, they won’t call fouls. So, in this case you have to be more aggressive. “You have to go to the edge with more power. You have to jump over people, you have to try to finish by contact. Because that’s an adjustment when the umpires come in and.” [the Raptors are] Whine.
“I’ve been doing this for quite a while to know that’s usually the adjustment. [And] In that case, I would get more physical.”