Joel Embiid offers apology after flipping off Hawks guard Kevin Huerter for stealing the ball in the final seconds.
Philadelphia 76ers All Star center Joel Embiid had himself a night at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, as he racked up a career-high 49 points with 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 129-112 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid capped off his career night with a highlight reel-worthy step back three in the closing minute, followed by a celebratory dance that surely got under the skin of Hawks guard Kevin Huerter.
As seen in the footage embedded below, Huerter snuck up and stole the ball from Embiid as he was attempting to dribble out the clock with a 17-point lead in hand, which prompted Embiid to send a middle finger his way.
Of the incident, Embiid told reporters during the post-game:
“There’s always this thing you shouldn’t shoot the ball if you’re up 20. I think it should go both ways… If the other team is going to keep playing defense and shooting the ball at the other end, we should go out and score.”
“I also want to say sorry for what I did at the end of the game," Embiid said. "Ya’ll probably saw that on TV, I am sorry.”
As a result of Monday's win, the Sixers improved to 36-22 on the season, which ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference. Up next for Embiid and co. are a pair of games against the East's bottom feeders, as they visit Cleveland on Wednesday, followed by a home game against the Knicks on Thursday night.