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Joel Embiid Claps Back at Critical Kevin Durant on Twitter

Joel Embiid clapped back at Kevin Durant, who was critical of his second-half celebration on Wednesday night.
Justin Grasso|
Joel Embiid Claps Back at Critical Kevin Durant on Twitter
Joel Embiid Claps Back at Critical Kevin Durant on Twitter

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Kevin Durant wasn’t a part of the Brooklyn Nets’ Wednesday night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. As the star forward’s currently battling a sprained MCL, Durant has at least two weeks left on his current recovery timeline.

Therefore, the All-Star didn’t make the trip to South Philly on Wednesday. Tuned in from home, Durant decided to live-tweet the matchup. And while Durant admitted that he missed trash-talking to Sixers center Joel Embiid and their backup Montrezl Harrell, the Nets star was critical of Embiid in the second half of the matchup.

For the first time in a long time, Embiid busted out one of his signature celebrations, which is recycled from the WWE stable, DX. As Embiid’s a well-known Triple H fan, the big man has celebrated like the wrestling legend following And-1s many times before.

On Wednesday, Embiid busted out the move for the first time this season. Durant, who saw it live on TV, took to Twitter to criticize the big man.

“Trash celebration,” Durant tweeted. 

Before coming out for his postgame press conference, Embiid responded on Twitter with a DX-style mixtape of him hitting the move in the past. Also, the video includes Embiid’s former teammate Ben Simmons and a clip of the Sixers’ big man getting into it with Durant during a matchup last season.

“There’s no secret Triple H is my guy,” Embiid said after the game. “Obviously, DX, when I used to watch wrestling, those were my guys. Anytime I get the chance, I haven’t done it in a while. So, I just felt like it was a good And-1. I got the ball, I got fouled, and I threw the ball. I didn’t even see the rim, and I felt like it was deserving of a good celebration, and that’s why I went to it.”

Embiid finished Wednesday’s matchup against the Nets with 26 points in 34 minutes. The star center helped lead the Sixers to a 137-133 win over the Durant-less Nets. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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