Joel Embiid’s second game back from his sinus fracture didn’t go well.
Embiid erupted and berated an official just before halftime of their game with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Things got so bad at one point that it took multiple 76ers teammates and assistant coaches to hold him back before he left the floor.
Just before halftime at the Wells Fargo Center, Embiid drove right at Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and crashed into him uncontrollably at the free throw line. Wembanyama drew the charge, and Embiid was livid.
He jumped up and immediately started yelling at the official, which earned him the first technical foul. That didn’t slow him down any, and he quickly picked up the second foul and automatic ejection. Multiple people had to hold Embiid back after his second technical foul, too, as he kept berating the official who threw him out.
Joel Embiid got called for charging, then got a tech for berating the ref, then got ejected for yelling at the refs and had to be held back from going after them pic.twitter.com/zkFVgNUU3U
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) December 24, 2024
Embiid eventually was walked off the court. He finished with nine points and three rebounds in 14 minutes, and he shot 2-of-8 from the field.
The game marked the second back for Embiid, who returned from a sinus fracture in their win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The 30-year-old has appeared in just eight games this season, and he didn’t make his debut until mid-November due to a left knee injury and a three-game suspension for shoving a local reporter.
Wembanyama and Andre Drummond got into it briefly in the second quarter, too, and Drummond was hit with a technical foul after he shoved Wembanyama. He was nearly ejected, but a second technical foul was rescinded after a review.
The 76ers took a 48-45 lead at halftime. Wembanyama had nine points and seven blocks at the break for San Antonio.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
