The Los Angeles Lakers-Philadelphia 76ers clash was as entertaining as one could expect. The All-Star duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid were hosted by LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and co. at the Crypto.com Arena. In front of an 18,000+ crowd, the two star-studded teams went on to produce an entertaining thriller.
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JoJo put up a dominant 35-point, 11-rebound double-double and The Beard recorded 24/7/13. Despite putting up 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists, the Sixers spoiled the King’s historic night. Witnessing 18 lead changes and 18 ties, Philly grabbed a huge 113-112 win.
Also Read: NBA Fans Ridicule 6ft 3” Lakers Guard for Contradicting Lebron James
While the entirety of the bout was gripping, the final few minutes were nail-biting… and certainly controversial.
NBA Twitter agrees that Russell Westbrook got fouled in the dying seconds
With about 15 seconds remaining in the final period, trailing by merely 1 point, Darvin Ham decided not to use any timeouts. Instead, Russ decided to take Embiid on an iso position. The result of the same? After fumbling the ball, the 6-foot-2 guard ended up chucking the ball at the rim.
Have a look at the play.
The final sequence of Lakers-6ers was WILD 😳
Russ clamps Embiid for chance to win but tries to iso Embiid on other end and gets denied pic.twitter.com/uTFwhhEgLe
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 16, 2023
Post the loss, the 2017 MVP showed photos that proved Embiid had indeed fouled him during that final play.
As soon as the news broke out, NBA Twitter blew up with reactions, agreeing with Brodie.
We all saw it too. pic.twitter.com/u4U5w7VPsT
— NBA politics 🇭🇹🇧🇯🇵🇭 (@jahpeoplewin) January 16, 2023
I bet if it was flipped, refs would make the call.
— Scott Foster 🇺🇸 🇧🇿 🇬🇹 (@think4sec) January 16, 2023
Westbrook was clearly fouled but the @NBA refs refuse to make game winning calls for the @Lakers
— Whitney B.☜ (@whitneybogard3) January 16, 2023
There were a few users who even criticised Westbrook for not letting an in-form LeBron take possession of the ball in the dying seconds.
Doesn’t matter….you have Lebron James on your team. He should get the ball. 🤦🏾♂️
— RoyalOne! (@_9715587249201) January 16, 2023
COME ON, LEBRON, GO GET THE BALL FROM RUSS AND YOU MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN DOWN ONE WITH THE CLOCK TICKING DOWN. RUSS DROVE ON EMBIID AND … I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO … 2-HAND PASS IT? SHOOT IT? DUNK IT? THAT WAS YOUR SHOT TO TAKE, LEBRON.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 16, 2023
Russ shouldn’t even have the ball. Call a timeout and give it to Lebron.
— Jorel ✞ (@JorelBrian) January 16, 2023
Westbrook and Embiid’s reactions on the final play
Russ had a pretty solid game until that final play. The man recorded a 20-point, 14-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double.
However, the 9-time All-Star became the butt of all jokes for his costly turnover.
Despite the refs’ decision to not call a foul, the 2-time scoring champ accused the Sixers big man of “grabbing” his wrist.
“(Embiid) was grabbing my wrist,” Westbrook said postgame. “I couldn’t get my hand up to shoot. … Couldn’t get the ball up. It’s frustrating, but I know the game didn’t come down to that one shot.”
Whereas, the Cameroonian didn’t agree with Russ’ accusations. Citing the play as “physical”, Embiid said:
“I don’t think I fouled him. Physical play on both sides. You could’ve called a foul on the other end, too. He was unlucky because he lost the ball. I would say he was unlucky.”
Joel Embiid says he doesn’t agree with Russ’ claim that he got fouled by Joel on the final play: “Physical play on both sides. You could’ve called a foul on the other end too.”
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 16, 2023
Also Read: Skip Bayless Finds a Way to Blame ‘The King’ as Russell Westbrook Cost Lakers 113-112 Loss
