The Philadelphia 76ers had a rough go at it in their restart opener in Orlando on Saturday night as they fell to the Indiana Pacers 127-121. Indiana’s T.J. Warren dropped 53 points and the Sixers had zero answers for him all night long.
There is one thing that stood out other than Warren going nuclear and that was a heated exchange between Joel Embiid and Shake Milton at the end of the first quarter. It was clear that some words were said and Milton had to be held back by his teammates on the bench.
However, Embiid brushed it off and said it was nothing.
“It’s basketball,” Embiid explained. “Everybody makes mistakes, it happens. We have to come in and get better. We discussed what’s going on and we move on and find a solution. It’s nothing.”
Sometimes it can be beneficial for a team to have those types of exchanges as it can be good for teams to fight sometimes and air their grievances.
“You don’t go cheerleading stuff like that all the time, but if a conversation needs to be had, it’s going to be had,” said coach Brett Brown. “I actually think stuff like that is probably more healthy than anything. Shake’s teammates love Shake Milton. They’re proud of his evolution and then you got an NBA All-Star in Joel Embiid who has an idea and I don’t know the full detail, but for the most part, it’s healthy. Those two will move on quickly.”
The Sixers have to hope that this does not derail any of the improved chemistry they have developed inside the bubble as they get set to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. One thing is for sure, they will absolutely have to defend much better than they did against the Pacers. [lawrence-related id=35959,35953,35945]