Published 01/16/2023, 11:27 PM EST
The Los Angeles Lakers were one shot away from bagging a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. There were 15 seconds on the clock and Russell Westbrook dribbled the ball toward the paint. 76ers star, Joel Embiid, was on Westbrook throughout this possession. The Lakers star rushed toward the basket while Embiid received help from George Niang. With both the 76ers players on him, Westbrook failed to make a shot. Minutes later, he told the reporters that Embiid fouled him – a call that wasn’t made, leaving the team fuming.
According to an ESPN report, Westbrook claimed that Embiid had grabbed his hand. However, Embiid believed that Westbrook was just unlucky since he lost the ball for a bit and called his defense a “physical play”. The NBA community engaged in debates around the last few seconds of the game. These discussions escalated when Embiid found support in the last two-minute report. The report read, “Embiid (PHI) slightly extends his arm before retracting it and marginal arm contact occurs with Westbrook (LAL) during the driving shot attempt.” This left Lakers fan lamenting.
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Lakers fans are furious with the report and defend Russel Westbrook
Laker nation was quick to defend Westbrook and call the NBA’s report out. With the help of screenshots, fans pointed out that Embiid grabbed Westbrook’s wrist. Following this, they claimed that the Lakers were being singled out by the league. They stated that it was “an obvious foul”. Additionally, some asked the NBA to end the release of these reports if they were spewed with lies. The fans demanded an investigation of this incident. Furthermore, they wanted the officials to be fired. Here are some of the reactions:
The Game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers
With this loss, the Lakers have lost three games in a row and this is the second straight game where the Lakers couldn’t capitalize on their momentum during the last few seconds of the game.
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The Lakers 112 point game was led by LeBron James’ 35 points which included 10 assists and 8 rebounds. His prolific performance found support in Westbrook’s 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. The 76ers’ efforts to win the game were successful due to Embiid’s 35 and James Harden’s 24 points.
Jan 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Troy Brown Jr. (7) and forward Wenyen Gabriel (35) meet with guard Russell Westbrook (0) following the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
James, who crossed the 38,000 career points mark, called this loss to be frustrating. He said, “We got the stop, gave ourselves a chance to win, and didn’t execute. We’re playing good basketball. We’re just not winning games.”
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What do you think about this NBA report? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.