Joel Embiid put on a show for 76ers fans, and even ran his mouth at Oklahoma Thunder players throughout the two teams' Friday night showdown. But it was Russell Westbrook and his visiting crew who ultimately had the last laugh.
Late in the fourth quarter, Embiid and Carmelo Anthony exchanged words after the former nailed a tough basket. Carmelo didn’t seem too impressed, and his displeasure with the play didn’t stop Embiid from attempting to pump up the crowd.
The matchup eventually went to overtime where things only continued to escalate. After exchanging more words with each other after a timeout, Embiid accidentally flew into Anthony after a foul. Two quarters later, and Embiid was back to his antics, except this time there was full intent with his actions. After Thunder center Steve Adams fouled out, ‘The Process’ couldn’t help but wave goodbye.
By the end of the sixth frame, Oklahoma City pulled through with a 119-117 victory. And as time expired, the former MVP couldn’t help but troll Embiid in the most fitting way possible.
Ouch. After the match, Embiid provided a classic Embiid answer.
The center finished with a game-high 34 points in what will likely go down as one of the battles of the year. Westbrook triple-doubled (surprise, surprise) with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists. The teams will go head-to-head again on January 28th in OKC, and Embiid is sure to hear a chorus of boos throughout the contest.
(H/T FTW)
