Joel Embiid‘s postseason debut Thursday night featured plenty of fireworks, and after leading the Philadelphia Sixers to a 128-108 win in Game 3, the big fella vowed to continue being a “nightmare” for the Miami Heat.
Embiid finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks as the Sixers took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
Embiid added that Heat players won’t have much luck trying to ruin his facemask.
Justise Winslow scores 19 in the first half then steps on Embiid's mask 😳 (via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/LncRmUt3zD
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) April 20, 2018
Per Philly.com:
“After that second game, I was told I wasn’t going to play [in Game 3]. That was frustrating,” said Embiid, who was elevated from doubtful to probable to playing. “I hate sitting out. … I felt it was time to come back, especially after watching how physical the game was in Game 2.
“I love this moment. I love being physical. I love contact. I felt like they needed me in that way.”
The first mask was damaged by Kelly Olynyk’s arm with 7 minutes, 56 seconds left in the second quarter. The lens part popped out. [Justise] Winslow purposely stepped on it and tried to break it with his hands.
“But little did they know that I have about 50 of them,” Embiid said. “It’s going to take much more than that to get me out of this series. I’m going to be a nightmare for them.”
