Joel Embiid took a little shot at the officiating on Friday after his Philadelphia 76ers fell to the brink of elimination against the New York Knicks.
Embiid and his Sixers fell short of a win in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Knicks. The 76ers’ offense failed to reach 100 points again in a 108-94 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
After the game, Embiid was asked to weigh in on the officiating and if the referees were allowing increased physicality in Game 3. The former MVP took the chance to throw shade at the zebras, claiming that the league benefits from when the Knicks go further in the playoffs.
“They shot 32 free throws, we had 16,” Embiid told reporters. “We’re not a team that shoots a lot of threes. We attack, put the ball on the ground. I don’t know, I guess it’s good when New York wins, so we’ve just got to have that mentality of just not fouling, I guess.”
“They shot 32 FTs, we had 16. We're not a team that shoots a lot of threes. We attack, put the ball on the ground. Idk…
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 9, 2026
I guess it's good when New York wins, so we've just got to have that mentality of just not fouling”
– Joel Embiid on the officiating pic.twitter.com/M9S6DRMj4y
Embiid finished with just 18 points on 7/17 shooting. He accounted for six of his team’s 16 free throw attempts, making four of them.
The Knicks’ bench shot as many free throws (14) as the Sixers’ starters. The only pair of free throws drawn by Philly’s bench came when Trendon Watford was intentionally fouled as New York emptied out its bench in the closing minutes.
It wasn’t a great night for Embiid, whose night was summed up by him getting completely posterized by Mitchell Robinson in the first half.
