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Sixers' Joel Embiid Reacts to Hard Foul From Lakers' LeBron James

Joel Embiid didn't appreciate LeBron James' hard foul on Wednesday.

Justin Grasso

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers had their matchup go down to the wire on Wednesday night. Although the game wasn't necessarily viewed as a chippy one, there was a point in the game when both team's superstars picked up flagrant foul calls within moments of each other.

The first one occurred with five minutes left to go in the third quarter. As Sixers center Joel Embiid took flight to attempt a dunk over LeBron James, the Lakers star defended himself on the play by failing to make a basketball move. 

Instead, he shoved Embiid while he was airborne, forcing the big man to take a hard spill on the ground and injure his back. After the whistles went off, the referees reviewed the play and decided it was a Flagrant 1 foul committed by LeBron.

After Wednesday night's game, Embiid reacted to the play. "First of all, if you look at it, that's a very dangerous play," Embiid said. "I guarantee you that if it was me, I would've probably been ejected from the game."

Not even two minutes after Embiid took a hard foul from James, the referees whistled the Sixers center for an offensive foul after it appeared he elbowed Lakers big man Anthony Davis while driving to the lane. After the foul was reviewed, Embiid also picked up a Flagrant 1 foul, which he believes shouldn't be compared to the foul that James committed earlier.

"I thought I didn't hit him or elbow him -- I might've touched him but I don't think it deserved the Flagrant," Embiid explained. "I mean, if you're going to compare those two, those are tough plays. And I just thought [the foul on me] should've been a Flagrant 2."

Obviously, both Embiid and James remained in the game following their fouls. Although his back continued to bother him after the fall, Embiid finished the night with 28 points in 37 minutes of action. James, on the other hand, led the Lakers in scoring with 34 points in 38 minutes of action.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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