Sports
Joel Embiid and Shake Milton collide during Philadelphia 76ers loss
How Joel Embiid and Shake Milton sparked heated confrontation during Philadelphia 76ers loss
The flashpoint came at the end of the first quarter with the Sixers trailing 35-29. On the final play of the period, Milton threw a wayward pass to Embiid, who was stationed at the free-throw line.
The inaccurate pass ballooned over Embiid towards the sideline with the 7ft center in hot pursuit. In attempting to keep the ball in bounds, Embiid collided with Pacers guard Edmond Sumner and took a heavy, twisting fall down to the floor.
Following the defeat, Embiid downplayed his altercation with Milton, telling NBC Sports
: “It’s basketball. Everybody makes mistakes. It happens. We have got to communicate better. You discuss what’s going on and you move on, you find a solution. But it’s nothing. It happens. It happens on every team and you just figure it out and you move on.”
Sixers head coach Brett Brown echoed Embiid’s sentiments.
As the 76ers returned to their bench at the end of the quarter, Embiid exchanged words with Milton and wagged his finger at his team-mate. Milton fired back verbally and was held back from continuing the argument by several 76ers reserves.
The Sixers eventually lost the game 127-121, despite Embiid scoring 41 points and stuffing the stat sheet with 21 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Milton finished with zero points and three assists in 19 minutes. Indiana forward TJ Warren erupted for a career-high 53 points to propel the Pacers to victory.
