“Did That on Purpose”: Knicks Star Accused of Targeting Joel Embiid’s Injured Abdomen During Controversial Play
We get game adrenaline and all that. But the Knicks could remember where an appendix once was! The old 76ers-Knicks tensions flared right away in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The target was obviously the Philadelphia 76ers representative big man, Joel Embiid who put on a tough front last week about faking injuries to bring the New York Knicks’ guard down. However, the primary story at Madison Square Garden shifted from the scoreboard to the health of Embiid and the unforgivable actions of Knicks star, Mikal Bridges. With 3:20 remaining in the second quarter and the Knicks holding a commanding 57-39 lead, the Sixers superstar found himself hunched over in visible agony following an incidental collision with Bridges.
The incident occurred while Embiid was attempting to set a screen, during which Mikal backed up and delivered a sharp blow to Embiid’s midsection. The timing and location of the contact were particularly alarming, as Embiid is less than four weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy surgery. As Kelly Oubre Jr.
converted an “and-1” layup to bring the score to 57-41, the reigning MVP remained doubled over, clutching the exact area of his recent surgical procedure. While Embiid displayed his trademark resilience by staying in the game and reviving his old rivalry with Karl-Anthony Towns, his movement appeared noticeably hampered for the remainder of the half. He finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and assist, a sharp decline from his back-to-back 30+ points against the Celtics last week.
With Embiid struggling through the pain, the Sixers lost their momentum. He played around five minutes in the third and in the fourth, Nick Nurse benched him and all the starters. The Knicks went on to win 137-98 off Jalen Brunson’s 35 points and take an early lead in the series.
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