Sixers' Joel Embiid, Jazz's Donovan Mitchell Joke Around on Twitter
The Utah Jazz are not happy with the results of Wednesday night's game in South Philly. As the Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers met for the second time this season, Sixers center Joel Embiid was back in the mix after missing the first outing in Utah last month due to back tightness.
As expected, Embiid had his way with Utah as he collected 40 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots in 39 minutes. Although Embiid's stat line might make it seem like the win came easy, that's far from the case.
For a good portion of the matchup, the Sixers trailed the Jazz. It wasn't until the third quarter when the Sixers finally outscored the Jazz. And even when they did, Philly was still down heading into the final period.
Eventually, the Sixers came back and tied it up late in the game -- but the Jazz believe that the 76ers got a little help from the referees in the fourth quarter and overtime. That led to Jazz star Donovan Mitchell losing his cool and racking up two technical fouls and an ejection, which eventually inspired his "we won this game" rant.
Although Mitchell's choice to pin the Utah loss on the referees came off as a slight towards the Sixers, he did give them credit where it's due. Not only did Mitchell say the Sixers are a good team and played an excellent game, but he also went to Twitter after the game to joke around with Sixers star Joel Embiid.
It's unclear what Mitchell said at that moment to rack up his first technical foul in overtime. Still, whatever it was, Embiid wasted no time forcing the attention on it from the referees so the Sixers could have another advantage.
If we're honest, Mitchell's ejection didn't have much to do with Utah's collapse in overtime. Not only did the veteran All-Star play in four minutes and 30 seconds of the five-minute quarter, but the Jazz shot just 10-percent during that period.
While his frustrations at times were certainly warranted, Mitchell and the Jazz have no choice but just to accept the results at this point. Judging based on his recent interactions with Embiid on Twitter, the young veteran has already dropped it.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
