Joel Embiid kicked (but missed) a chair Wednesday night, this after being told he couldn’t step on the floor during the second overtime of the Sixers’ 104-99 loss to the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
Joel Embiid kicks bench in frustration after Sixers doctors sit him down for second overtime period due to minutes limit pic.twitter.com/cZMUDEWIdv
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 24, 2016
Philly head coach Brett Brown says he understands the big fella’s frustration with his strict 24-minute limit.
Marc Gasol led the Grizz with a game-high 27 points, while Mike Conley added 25 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.
Per Philly.com:
“I respect that,” Brown said of Embiid visible display of frustration. “Very much I respect that. You see how much he wants to help us try to win, how competitive he is. I mean that’s a hard life to live, isn’t it? [It is] from everybody’s perspective – coaches, teammates, Joel’s fans. But it’s just the way it is.”
The loss denied the Sixers (4-11) of two things. They failed to win three consecutive games for the first time since they won four straight in late 2013 and early 2014. The Sixers also haven’t beaten the Grizzlies (10-5) since Dec. 26, 2012, with Memphis winning eight consecutive meetings.
“It’s tough,” Embiid said. “I don’t think I’m playing against Chicago [on Friday]. So I basically have three or four days to rest. So that’s what I told them. […] But they care about me. They are going to do whatever they can to protect me.”
