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The Philadelphia 76ers did everything they could to get their arena filled with their own crowd, but that didn’t stop New York Knicks fans from taking the New Jersey Turnpike south.
Knicks fans swarmed Xfinity Mobile Arena as they took a 3-0 lead over the Sixers in the second round of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but Joel Embiid seemed to believe some Knicks bias was on the court as well.
Embiid pointed out that the Knicks had twice as many free throw attempts (32) as the 76ers (16).
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Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after a foul during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks in Philadelphia on May 8, 2026. (Matt Slocum/AP)
“I guess it’s good when New York wins,” Embiid said, apparently addressing the officials.
“Maybe (some potential fouls) were dropped or not. They shot 32 free throws, we had 16. We’re not a team that shoots a lot of 3s. We attack, put the ball on the floor. I don’t know,” he added.
“We just have to have that mentality of not fouling, I guess, and being smart enough to not put ourselves in a position where they’re going to take advantage of it.”
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reacts next to guard Tyrese Maxey after a foul during the third quarter of Game 3 of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 8, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
TIKI BARBER TELLS JOEL EMBIID TO “STOP BEING A B-TCH” AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PHYSICALITY OF THE KNICKS
Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges made back-to-back baskets that increased the Knicks’ fourth-quarter lead to 92-84. Jalen Brunson, the cold shooter built for these moments, buried a 3 from the top of the arc that made it 95-86 during a 9-0 Knicks run, much to the delight of visiting fans.
Embiid openly begged fans before the series not to sell their tickets to New Yorkers. The Sixers limited sales to those in the Philadelphia area while donating hundreds of tickets to local first responders.
But thousands of Knicks fans, including Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Spike Lee, still entered.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns confronts Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during the second quarter of Game 3 of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 8, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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The Knicks will embark on a sweep Sunday in Philadelphia.
