76ers vs. Spurs: Refs overshadow Joel Embiid, Victor Wembanyama showdown
Today at 09:31 PM
The Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) got their first look of the season at the San Antonio Spurs (15-14) in their final home game of 2024. In an absolute circus of a basketball game, the Sixers held on to win 111-106.
After taking a game off on the second night of a back-to-back, Joel Embiid returned to the starting lineup to face Victor Wembanyama and the upstart Spurs. A Rookie-of-the-Year contender showdown between Jared McCain and Stephon Castle was canceled because of the former’s injury. But with the Sixers’ three stars all in action, the stage was set for a competitive game.
The result was indeed that…just not in a way anyone wanted.
Superstar bigs collide
The last time Embiid and Wembanyama faced off in the NBA, Embiid set the 76ers’ single-game record for points, scoring 70. Wemby was great in that game in his own right but the Sixers came out with the win. The superstar giants saw each other again in the Olympics with Embiid’s American squad taking home the gold over Wemby and Les Bleus.
Tonight’s matchup of the bigs was ended prematurely in one of the many displays of unbelievable officiating.
Embiid bodied Wembanyama time after time, backing him down relentlessly like a father playing one-on-one in the driveway against their son. Even for someone as long as the Spurs star, it was not easy to prevent his opponent from setting up in good spots. Embiid drew a shooting foul on Wemby on his first touch (though he gave it right back to San Antonio by pursuing a Devin Vassell three-pointer too hard).
Wemby had a rough night shooting the ball from downtown. Embiid’s size surely dissuaded him from taking certain shots and he couldn't connect from downtown or establish inside position. He didn't have the most sparkling half but he seemed to have the rising superstar’s number. And then the Grinch stole any sanity left in this hotly contested game.
Right before halftime, Embiid was called for a charge and argued the call, which would have left him with three fouls. He was animated and the referee who made the call, Jenna Schroder, had enough of Embiid’s grumbling after roughly 15 seconds. She assessed him two quick technical fouls, which only angered him more. He was held back by teammates and staffers as an already wild game got kicked up from an 11 to about a 47.
Joel Embiid has been ejected from Sixers-Spurs after picking up two technical fouls where he was called for a charge against Wemby on this play.
Good or bad ejection? pic.twitter.com/a4E0SQycGy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 24, 2024
And that's all that was written for Embiid vs. Wemby, Part 3.
The most notable part of Wemby’s game might have been his run-in in the second quarter with Andre Drummond. The refs calling a tech on Drummond, then calling another, then calling a flopping technical on Wemby and then rescinding it after the Sixers shot their technical free-throw made for some wonderful Ref Ball. That's what the people come to see!
Overcoming Wemby’s defense
Before the game, Nick Nurse all but admitted defeat when it came to shooting right at the basket against Wembanyama. He said that the Sixers need to get drive-and-kick sequences and refrain from trying the NBA’s blocks leader at the rim. Embiid being in the lineup certainly made things easier, though constructing buckets against Wemby when he rested would be a challenge for a Sixers offense that was anything but elite without him.
Embiid’s gravity pulled Wemby away from the rim far, opening lanes for Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to get deep into the paint. He drew Jeremy Sochan away from PG, freeing him up for a triple. Embiid was big enough to push Wemby around. Unsurprisingly, no one else was.
The other Sixers were very hesitant to try Wemby. Without Embiid, they were almost entirely incapable of scoring in the paint. Drummond found out the hard way before all the shenanigans happened. His attempt to squeeze a layup by Wemby was thwarted quickly and emphatically. It was the first of three blocks in the final 80 seconds of the first quarter for the French Slenderman.
Without Embiid in the second half, Wemby was free to roam the court and scare off would-be shooters. He forced the Sixers into shooting more threes. Although their shooting had been unimpressive, they rose to the occasion, nailing three of them in the span of two minutes to take their largest lead of the night. Maxey set up a lot of the threes with crisp drive-and-kicks, raising his team’s volume to match that of San Antonio.
The Spurs punched back in the third quarter. A charge led by rookie Stephon Castle cut a 15-point deficit as low as six. They launched lots of treys with thoughts of a comeback dancing in their heads. However, the Sixers kept the ball moving and hit shots of their own, holding on tightly to their lead.
As Philly’s offense stalled, Chris Paul hit a huge three to put the Spurs ahead midway through the fourth quarter. It was a tight contest the rest of the way, neither team running out to big advantages. They traded buckets in the final minutes, one of which was an and-one dunk from Maxey. Then he stuck the dagger into his opponent with a step-back three, concluding his night with 32 points (12 in the fourth quarter), 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Maxey taking charge was precisely what the Sixers needed in this game. It’s something to build on for future Embiid-less stretches and a reminder that he’s not someone to lay down when things get hard.
Sacre bleu, Guerschon Yabusele!
Wembanyama wasn’t the only Frenchie wreaking havoc.
Yabusele gave the Sixers a huge lift off the bench, igniting the run in the third quarter and hitting some huge shots early on. He saw a huge uptick in minutes with Embiid out, starting the second half and matching up with Wembanyama often. He expertly used the rim to prevent Wemby from blocking one of his layup attempts and straight up made shots (6-8 from the field).
On defense, Yabusele was just as impressive. How many players are capable of blocking Wemby and baiting CP3 into a turnover? The 76ers forward did both in this one on his way to racking up a game-high four steals.
KJ Martin started and made some great hustle plays but he wasn't having his best game. The Sixers sorely needed Yabusele in this one, especially with Drummond being ruled out in the third quarter due to a toe injury and Martin later being ruled out in the fourth.
Next up for the 76ers: a six-game road trip that will take them into the new year. It begins on Christmas with their first matchup against the Boston Celtics this season.
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