Pacers’ Coach Feels For NBA Officials Reffing Embiid, Harden

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle tips his cap to NBA officials that have to referee a game that involves James Harden and Joel Embiid.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn’t want a fine in the mail after Monday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

When asked about what went wrong for his team down the stretch of the offensive shootout between the Sixers and the Pacers, Carlisle refused to place blame on the officials.

“I’m not gonna say officiating,” he joked with reporters. “No matter how hard you try to get me to say it was the officiating, I am not going to say the officiating.”

Watching Carlisle and his team’s frustration on the court and the sidelines throughout Monday night’s game, it’s clear they didn’t agree with a lot of calls. But what else is new? 

Doc Rivers and the 76ers find themselves in similar situations more often than not, and that’s just a part of the game. 

When it comes to playing against players who figured out how to draw fouls at a high rate, though, frustration could go through the roof. And Carlisle once again found out first-hand just how difficult it is to try and coach defense against a duo like James Harden and Joel Embiid on Monday.

Behind Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokonumpo, Embiid is second in the NBA for free throw attempts per game with 11.9. Harden is 15th in the league with 6.7 per game. 

Harden and Embiid are the only two teammates in the top 15 of that category, and the Pacers put them on the line more times than they average on a nightly basis.

The Pacers were whistled for 24 fouls on Monday night. Embiid went to the free throw line for a game-high of 19 attempts. The big man’s stroke was on as he knocked down every attempt. 

Meanwhile, Harden took a trip to the charity stripe for nine attempts, the third-most in the game behind Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton. While he wasn’t perfect, Harden successfully knocked down seven of his nine foul shots.

Carlisle hinted that he felt frustrated about the way the game was called, but he refused to criticize the officials. Instead, he complimented them for the tough task they had on Monday.

“I feel for the officials,” the head coach said. “Refereeing Joel Embiid and Harden is very, very difficult… It’s very difficult. You know, it’s just very difficult. I compliment them for taking on the task. That’s all I’ll say.”

Embiid and Harden know how to work the whistle, and they took advantage during Monday’s high-scoring victory in Indiana. 

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