Joel Embiid Was Sure Evan Mobley Flopped on Controversial Call

Joel Embiid was confident Doc Rivers would win his challenge on a controversial call Wednesday night in Cleveland.

Joel Embiid couldn’t believe it when he was whistled for his sixth foul during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Less than two minutes after the Philadelphia 76ers center collected his fifth foul, Embiid was called for a sixth on the offensive end of the floor right before he buried a fadeaway mid-range jumper.

Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Evan Mobley sold the call, which became controversial the moment Doc Rivers called a timeout and signaled for a review.

Most were sure that there wasn’t enough for the officiating crew to overturn the call, which would’ve ended Embiid’s night prematurely. 

A few moments later, those who believed Embiid’s night was finished were shocked to find out that he would stay in the game and his basket would count.

Embiid, as expected, agreed with the decision after the game.

“I think it was a good call,” the big man told reporters, according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. “I never extended my arm and I never really put a lot of pressure into hitting him. And you could tell right before the hit, he was trying to flop and fall."

The referees didn’t offer much of an explanation regarding the overturn at the moment, but Crew Chief John Goble spoke on the decision in a pool report following the game.

Here's what Crew Chief John Goble had to say on reversing the foul on Embiid tonight:

"The contact by Embid was determined to be marginal as he did not go through the space of Mobley." #Sixers #Cavs

— Justin Grasso (@JGrasso_) March 16, 2023

“The contact by Embid was determined to be marginal as he did not go through the space of Mobley,” said Goble. 

"I didn't think I had extended anything,” Embiid continued, per Hofmann. “I watch basketball every day. And based on the way those are officiated — We got some guys that basically play like running backs in this league that get that call all the time — I was pretty confident."

A smiling Joel Embiid was relieved to remain in the game on Wednesday. While he had to remain careful after playing rather aggressively all night long, the Sixers were able to close out the matchup without any issues. 

Philadelphia topped Cleveland with a 118-109 win, snagging their sixth victory in a row. With that win, Philadelphia advances to 46-22 on the season. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.