Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers had yet another impressive game on Monday night.
The 76ers easily took down the Toronto Raptors yet again, winning the second game in the first round, 112-97.
Embiid was a huge part of that victory as he scored 31 points and 11 rebounds, achieving yet another double-double in the playoffs.
He also went to the free-throw line 14 times and sank all but two of those.
Nurse went on to say Embiid is a great player who is playing great and he has a lot of respect for him. https://t.co/cmcoVg3cnK
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 19, 2022
Embiid had a brief courtside chat with Raptors coach Nick Nurse following the game.
To some, the conversation looked a little heated but Nurse later revealed what the two said.
According to Nurse, here’s how it went: “(Embiid) said, ‘I’m gonna keep making all my free throws if you keep fouling,’ and I said, ‘Well, you might have to.'”
Following that tidbit, Nurse went on to talk about how great a player Embiid is and how much respect he has for him.
It sounds like things are all good between Nurse and Embiid – but they might not get many more chances to talk.
Philly Pushing On
If the 76ers keep playing as they have been, this series is all but over.
The Raptors haven’t figured out how to defeat the 76ers – or even come close.
Philadelphia still has its fair share of problems and might not yet be ready to win the Finals but they have obviously figured out how to take down Toronto.
Even if they handily beat the Raptors, the 76ers have their biggest challenge ahead of them.
Their second-round challenger will either be the Atlanta Hawks or the Miami Heat.
Right now the Heat have a 1-0 lead in that series and they are the odds-on favorite to move forward.
A Philly-Miami matchup would be very intense and hard-fought.
Don’t expect a lot of cordial chats between Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Embiid.
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