The Philadelphia 76ers played hosts to the Toronto Raptors tonight. Before the game started, everyone assumed that it would be a one-sided affair with Joel Embiid and his terrific form. The game looked the same, with the Sixers holding a 14-point lead at a point.
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However, Pascal Siakam and the referees had other plans. Siakam put on a clinic, scoring a game-high 38 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He also had the bucket to tie the game and send it to OT.
Pascal Siakam tonight:
38 Points
15 Rebounds
6 Assists pic.twitter.com/Rlm6dq5ZLB— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 20, 2022
In the end, the Sixers outscored the Raptors 5-2 in OT, to win the game 104-101.
Despite the result, Joel Embiid wasn’t too pleased with the game. He called out the referees for their officiating after the game ended.
Joel Embiid called tonight’s game the ‘most ridiculous game he’s been a part of’
Facing the Raptors tonight, the Sixers brought out their A Game or at least tried to. They were continuously hindered by the lack of calls, or sometimes, calls that shouldn’t have been made. Despite the same, the Sixers took care of their home court.
Joel Embiid scored 28 points, along with 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was clearly not happy about the way the game went on and made sure to talk about it after the game.
Embiid, hinting that he was not pleased with certain elements of the game tonight: “That was probably the most ridiculous game I’ve ever been a part of, that’s all I’m going to say.”
(Editorializing: thought he was clearly unhappy with the officials)
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) December 20, 2022
Embiid was careful enough not to call out the officials directly, as that has often resulted in fines for others. However, from what he said and the context of the situation, it was clear who he was pointing fingers at.
Sixers fans support Embiid, call out terrible officiating
Joel Embiid had to wait for the game to end to talk about the officiating. However, Sixers fans had the privilege to talk about it all throughout the game. Right from the start, they took to Twitter and complained about the calls.
Sixers escaped. But were flat. Embiid regardless of his numbers was tired late in the game and kept missing. Officiating was abysmal. #TORvsPHI
— The Dust Man (@djdustmon) December 20, 2022
Officiating in @sixers v @Raptors game has been terrible this OT period. As bad as @NFL
— Daniel B. Block, MD (@DanielBlockMD) December 20, 2022
Officiating in this #Sixers game feels sus.
— M. Angela Moore (@MAngelaMoore) December 20, 2022
Always some display of horrible officiating in Sixers games, no matter if they help or hurt them. This is absolutely nothing new.
— MyJumperBroke (@BrokeMyJumper) December 20, 2022
The NBA should look into what happened tonight, especially during overtime, and probably take a call on the officials.
