PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers are a tough team to defend. Both Joel Embiid and James Harden are guys who can get into the paint, force the issue, and they draw fouls at a high rate.
In Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Toronto Raptors, Embiid took 11 free throws to score 19 points despite shooting just 5-for-15 on the night, and that upset Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
Nurse was upset with the officiating all night as Toronto had two guys foul out in Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher. The Raptors did a good job of beating the big fella to the spot, but Embiid is so good at drawing fouls and it puts the opposition in a tough spot.
“I don’t care if you’re 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, if you beat him to the spot and he runs you over, it’s a foul,” Nurse told reporters. “I thought he threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one. We’re going to stand in there.”
The officiating will always be a factor when it comes to the Sixers, but at the end of the day, the two of them, especially Embiid, will be tough to defend down low.
“If we’re legal defensively, then we gotta have them call it or we don’t have a chance,” Nurse added. “Period. Nobody can guard that guy if they’re just gonna let him run you over time and time again. We’re gonna stand in there and we’ll see.”
The Sixers and the Raptors will convene back at the Wells Fargo Center for Game 2 of this playoff series on Monday.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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