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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid revealed he told Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to "stop b----ing" in the final moments of Game 2 of the 76ers and Raptors matchup. Embiid had a big Game 2 performance as he dropped 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 112-97 win a 2-0 lead in the series.
In the final seconds of the game, the cameras caught Embiid having a conversation with Nurse on the sideline. Nurse complained about offiaciating after Game 1 and did the same throughout Game 2. "He's a great coach," Embiid said, per ESPN.
"Obviously, he's been able to accomplish [a lot] and always been a big fan. "But, I told him, respectfully, I told him to stop b----ing about calls."
Nurse on Embiid's message
Embiid went 12-of-14 from the free throw line and Nurse wasn't happy about the number of free throws the center was given.
"At least there wasn't as many elbows thrown to the face tonight that we had to endure," Nurse said. Even though Nurse wasn't happy with the calls Embiid was getting, he noted he has got nothing but respect for the All-Star center.
"He was saying to me that, 'I'm going to keep making all the free throws if you keep fouling,'" Nurse said. "And I said, 'Well, you might have to.' "But a good player, man. I got a lot of respect for him. He's certainly playing great here.
There's nothing there but us trying to compete against him and him trying to compete against us." The 76ers did their task on their home floor and now they travel to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. Embiid was vowed to remain aggressive, maybe even more aggressive than he was in Games 1 and 2.
"Referees and the league, they're the same way," Embiid said. "They're gonna come in the next game, and they are gonna let stuff go. So, you know, they're not going to call, you know, some fouls. So, in that case, you got to be more aggressive.
You got to go to the rim with more power. You got to jump over people, you got to try to finish through contact. Because that's an adjustment when it's the refs coming in and [the Raptors are] complaining. "I've been doing this for quite a while to know that's usually the adjustment. [And] in that case, that's where I'd become more physical."