Joel Embiid appears to have taken up real estate in the head of yet another opposing big man.
The Philadelphia 76ers star got into it with Washington Wizards counterpart Montrezl Harrell during Sunday’s matchup. On a sequence down low in the third quarter, Embiid knocked Harrell down. Harrell then proceeded to hit Embiid with a hard foul, and the two players got into a scuffle.
Joel Embiid and Montrezl Harrell went at each other 👀
(via @NBCSPhilly)pic.twitter.com/rK9pejW0LJ
— FanSided (@FanSided) December 27, 2021
The two players got double technicals for the incident. Then on the very next offensive possession for the Sixers, Harrell shoved Embiid again, leading to a second technical foul and Harrell’s ejection.
https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1475268880704622592
After the game, which Philly won 117-96, Harrell had a message for Embiid.
“He got an and-one, he want to yell in my face … I pushed him out my face,” said Harrell, per NBC Sports Washington’s Andrew Gillis. “That was the end of it. He was the one to step back, point, ‘Oh, oh, I got pushed!’
“Stand on your toughness,” Harrell added. “If you’re so tough, you know, stand on that, my dude. Don’t start nitpicking and pointing and wanting to do the telling when the ref walk in, my guy. Stand on that. I am, I got tossed, it is what it is. I wish it wouldn’t have been in the situation that it was in, but I don’t regret it.”
For his part, Embiid sounded pleased that he was able to use his “troll” skills to get Harrell ejected.
Joel Embiid on his back and forth with Montrezl Harrell: "I wouldn’t say I baited him into that (second tech) but I like to think that I'm a troll. I like to think I kind of made him get out of his comfort zone, and that got him kicked out…
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) December 27, 2021
In addition to getting the 21-point victory, Embiid finished with one of his best stat lines of the season. He posted 36 points on 12-for-17 shooting with 13 rebounds. Harrell had 15 points and four rebounds of his own before getting booted.
The four-time All-Star Embiid has really mastered the art of getting under opponents’ skin, especially fellow bigs. As for Harrell specifically, Embiid already had some history with him dating back at least a couple of years.
