The Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-105, on Tuesday night. It was the team's fourth consecutive loss and it came a day after owner Josh Harris said he was confident that the team would make a playoff run.
The most shocking part of the defeat came in the final seconds as Joel Embiid passed up a wide-open three that could have given the 76ers the lead. And by wide-open, I mean wide-open. After setting a pick for Tyrese Maxey both defenders went with the All-Star point guard and there wasn't a defender above the free-throw line. In fact, when Embiid caught the ball, the closest Raptor was standing at the bottom of the dotted circle in the lane.
Embiid hesitated and decided to drive straight into a compacted defense. He tried a crossover and lost the ball into the hands of Gradey Dick. As Dick was fouled to stop the clock, boos rained down on the Sixers.
Joel Embiid just pulled a Ben Simmons 😭 pic.twitter.com/2EY9ATUey4
— Hoops Alerts (@TheHoopsAlerts) February 12, 2025
This was downright shocking to see from Embiid and Sixers fans are right to be frustrated. The team has lost six of their last seven games and currently have the seventh-worst record in the NBA. They're closer in the standings to the Washington Wizards than the New York Knicks.
And if there was any question Embiid wasn't right, this answers that. It's not so much that he's a great three-point shooter, but he's pretty good. Especially for a big guy. He's only 33% this season, but just last year he shot a career-high 38.8%. He has never shied away from taking a shot like this at any point in his career. He came into the league immediately attempting more than three a game even though he only attempted five total in 28 games in his one season at Kansas.
So to see Embiid pass up a shot that wide-open under any circumstances is really shocking. To see him not take it here, with his team down two in the final seconds of a game is unbelievable. As the person who posted that video points out, that's something Ben Simmons would do.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sixers Fans Booed Joel Embiid After He Passed Up a Wide-Open Three in a Huge Moment.
