Joel Embiid told Lauri Markkanen to miss free throws so the 76ers could avoid overtime and he could go home and put his son Arthur to bed
Joel Embiid put on one of the greatest performances ever last night as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Utah Jazz 105-98 to climb back to .500 on the season.
Embiid scored 26 of the Sixers’ 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 105-98 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. On the night, Embiid scored a career-high 59 points to go along with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks. Embiid’s legacy night came on the second leg of a back-to-back after he scored 42 points with 10 rebounds and six assists against the Atlanta Hawks last night.Â
To put that in perspective, Embiid just scored 101 points, with 21 rebounds, 14 assists, and 9 blocks over the last 24 hours. Embiid is the first person to have at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game since stats became an official stat 50 years ago.
What made the night even more impressive, is the fact that Embiid was able to give every Philadelphia 76ers fan free Chick-Fil-A thanks to two missed free throws from Lauri Markkanen in the second half of last night’s game.
Joel Embiid Chirping Lauri Markkanen
Originally tweeted by Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) on November 14, 2022.
With the Jazz down five points with 20.7 seconds left in the game, Embiid approached Markkanen at the line and shared a few words with him. Markkanen then missed both free throws and the 76ers went on to secure the win.
After the game, Embiid was asked about the words he exchanged with Markkanen at the free throw line. Embiid said he told Markkanen he had to put his son Arthurt to sleep and that he wanted to avoid overtime.
He then told reporters that he lied, saying that his son Arthur is in bed every night at 7:30PM sharp.
Honestly, given the fact that Embiid finished the night with one of the most ridiculous stat lines ever recorded in NBA history, if he was coming up to me on the free throw line in a five-point game, he could have just stood there and looked at me and I would have easily air balled both attempts. I can’t blame Markkanen here, but damn, that’s some good parenting from Embiid, who continues to grow into one of the greatest athletes in Philadelphia history right before our eyes.
Up Next for the 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers will now enjoy four days off before welcoming Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks to South Philadelphia on Friday, November 18th.
Jazz vs 76ers Game Highlights
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on November 14, 2022.
