Embiid says he told Raptors coach Nick Nurse to "stop b*tching" at foul calls

NiToronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid are at centre stage of the latest storyline to emerge from their first-round playoff series.

Embiid and the 76ers defeated Toronto by a 112-97 score on Monday night to take a 2-0 series lead.

But while the outcome of the game wasn’t really in question with the undermanned Raptors trailing by as many as 29 at one point, questions started to circulate about a late-game conversation between player and opposing coach.

Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid were having a conversation with just seconds to go in the game.

What do you think they were saying? pic.twitter.com/baYuHfNOZk

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 19, 2022

“He said, ‘I’m going to keep making all the free throws if you keep fouling me’. And I said, ‘you might have to,'” Nurse told reporters postgame when asked about the exchange with Embiid.

Embiid went to the foul line 14 times on Monday, compared to just 12 total free throws for the Raptors. The 76ers as a whole took 30 foul shots, making 26.

Embiid didn’t quite have the same reaction to the moment with this Raptors’ boss.

“He’s a great coach, obviously, what he’s been able to accomplish,” Embiid told reporters postgame. “I’ve always been a big fan. But I told him, respectfully, to stop bitching about calls, because I saw what he said last game. If you triple team somebody all game, they’re bound to get to the free throw line.”

Joel Embiid explains what he told Nick Nurse at the end of Game 2 👀😅 pic.twitter.com/tUToBrJdlx

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 19, 2022

Following Game 1, Nurse had pointed out what he felt were missed calls on Embiid.

“I don’t care if you’re 5’11 and 160 pounds, if you beat him to the spot and he runs you over, it’s a foul,” Nurse had said about Embiid’s physicality on Saturday. “[Embiid] threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one. If we’re legal defensively, we’ve gotta have them called, or we don’t have a chance. Nobody can guard that guy if they’re gonna let him run you over.”

Game 3 is set for Wednesday night in Toronto, with tipoff set for 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT.