Joel Embiid wasn’t supposed to play on Wednesday night for a short-handed Sixers team as he continues to deal with a knee bruise, but the MVP candidate nearly hit a miraculous shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime.
Suns star Chris Paul missed a free-throw that would have sealed the game at 117-113, giving the Sixers the slightest hope with just 0.8 seconds remaining in the game. Embiid grabbed the rebound and unleashed a one-handed heave toward the other end – and his attempt nearly dropped. The ball hit the backboard and rattled off the inside of the front of the rim. Embiid, in disbelief, dropped to the floor in anguish.
Joel Embiid was THIS CLOSE to sending it to OT in incredible fashion. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gw6eFGiml8
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2021
After the game, Embiid called the outcome “unfortunate.”
“When I threw it, it looked good. It almost did. I saw the screen shot, and it looks like it went in and out and that’s just unfortunate.”
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