PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid rarely forgets anything. The big fella certainly remembers whenever he believes he has been slighted.
Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner, who is one of the better defenders in the NBA, made a comment about defending Embiid and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic over the summer. Turner mentioned he believes he can control Embiid more than Jokic and that he has a fighting chance of defending Philadelphia’s star one-on-one.
After the big fella scored 19 points in the first quarter on his way to 37 for the game in Sunday’s win, Embiid made sure he brought up the comments made by Turner.
“Just being aggressive,” Embiid said. “I always go back to some of the comments their big man made a year ago so I always try to take it personal against anybody, but I just tried to be aggressive and set the tone.”
Embiid’s efforts, combined with Tyrese Maxey’s phenomenal 50-point night, allowed the Sixers to build an early 19-point lead. However, the Pacers worked their way back into the game and they rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers, obviously, walked away with the win, but Embiid wants them to be better.
“We got up to a early lead, but I still think we could have done a better job,” he said. “Especially, defensively. Like I said, just wanna be aggressive, set the tone, and get us off to a good start.”
Embiid and the Sixers will face Turner and the Pacers again on Tuesday in the in-season tournament.
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