The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a disappointing 106-103 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center. While the game was close throughout, it was Joel Embiid’s last-minute blunder that ultimately cost the Sixers a chance to secure a win.
In the final moments of the game, Embiid had a golden opportunity to be a game-changer. After receiving a pass from Tyrese Maxey at the top of the key, he was completely unguarded.
Rather than taking the open three-pointer that could have given Philadelphia the lead, he chose to drive into the paint. He then lost the ball in a crowd of three Toronto defenders. The Raptors capitalized on the turnover and shut down the Sixers’ last-ditch effort to tie the game.
Joel Embiid was wide open at the top of the key, but passed up on the three that would have given the Sixers the lead late in the 4th quarter 😬
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 12, 2025
Philly falls to the Raptors at home.pic.twitter.com/AOQBUNuvhm
The decision left many stunned. Embiid had plenty of space and time to take the shot, yet he hesitated. Unsurprisingly, Sixers fans did not hold back their criticism. Many slammed Embiid for his costly decision. Some even went as far as comparing his hesitation to Ben Simmons’ infamous reluctance to take open shots.
That man is WASHED
— Ben (@TheHurricaneBen) February 12, 2025
Unserious player
— Rashaan (@Rashaan_954) February 12, 2025
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Pulled his best Ben Simmons impression
— JT FOR 👌 (@DbDemetri) February 12, 2025
He's the new ben simmons now
— Kartik P (@pareek_kp) February 12, 2025
low iq play by EMBIID lol
— what if (@wtif__) February 12, 2025
joel needs to retire, dude is terrible
— Is this thing on 🎤 (@Sam_king_88) February 12, 2025
Joel Embiid Owns Up To The Mistake After The Game
After the game, Embiid did not shy away from addressing the blunder. He admitted that he should have taken the open shot instead of trying to create something inside.
“Tough one. Wide open, gotta shoot that one. With how the game was going, I had [the] elbow one and then down two; I thought I could just step in and shoot the mid-range. Looking back at it, I probably should have taken the wide-open shot and made it. Tough one. Yeah, just take the easy ones and live with it,” Embiid said.
Embiid finished the game with a team-high 27 points, along with 12 rebounds and four assists. Nevertheless, his final possession overshadowed his overall performance.
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