<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-blunt-take-andre-drummond-ejection-fiasco');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama drops blunt take on Andre Drummond ejection fiasco');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Victor-Wembanyama-drops-blunt-take-on-Andre-Drummond-ejection-fiasco.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama drops blunt take on Andre Drummond ejection fiasco</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T08:49:12-08:00">December 24th, 8:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T08:49:12-08:00">December 24th, 8:49am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>What happened when the San Antonio Spurs visited the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night was a complete disaster regarding how this game was officiated. The continued drop in ratings has been a massive discussion across the NBA, and the officials are directly contributing to this problem, especially when you look at everything that occurred with Victor Wembanyama, Andre Drummond, and Joel Embiid during this game.</p><p>Bizarre is the perfect word to describe how this game went, as before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-fans-lose-joel-embiids-ejection-foul-victor-wembanyama">Joel Embiid was ejected for his rampage towards the referees</a>, Drummond was ejected for throwing Wembanyama to the court before the ball had been inbounded by San Antonio. In a very unprecedented move, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-referee-admits-she-fd-up-andre-drummond-ejection-from-spurs">Drummond was ejected and then had this call reversed</a> in the span of a handful of minutes, allowing him to remain in the game and emerge from the locker room after subsequently having money taken out of his pocket by the officials for no reason whatsoever.</p><p>As both players battled for position under the basket, it seemed as if Drummond shoved Wembanyama, which prompted a second technical foul to be given to him. After the officials gathered to review the incident, this technical foul was rescinded on the floor, and Wembanyama was the one hit with a technical foul for flopping. Upon Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey making his free throw for the technical given to Wemby, this foul was then called back and the points were taken off the board as if nothing ever happened.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Andre Drummond was ejected after this play with Wembanyama.</p><p>The call was then reversed, and a flop was called on Victor.</p><p>Thoughts? 🤔<a href="https://t.co/3DRMqeFa51">pic.twitter.com/3DRMqeFa51</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871358302216655070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Nobody on the 76ers or Spurs knew what was going on, nor did they know this would eventually lead to the fiasco involving Embiid later on. When questioned about everything that went down on the court with Drummond and the officials in the Spurs’ 111-106 loss to the 76ers, Wembanyama shared his <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43133441/76ers-joel-embiid-ejected-chaotic-opening-half-vs-spurs" rel="noopener">honest view of the play</a> that saw two technicals given out and reversed.</p><p>“He just stepped on my foot, and I fell,” Wembanyama said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “I didn’t expect the foul to be called. I just fell.”</p><p>The Spurs star did not address the officials directly, nor did he comment on if he thought the whole matter was handled correctly or not. Interim head coach Mitch Johnson also gave his opinion on the Wembanyama-Drummond situation, claiming that he doesn’t think either player was in the wrong and no fouls should’ve been given out.</p><p>“I don’t think it was a foul on them, and I don’t think it was a flop [on Wembanyama],” Johnson stated. “That’s kind of how I saw it up to that point.”</p><h2><b>NBA officials admit mistake in 76ers-Spurs game</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Wembanyama-and-referee-shaking-hands-.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-nick-nurse-honest-take-strange-officiating-ejections-spurs">The 76ers and Spurs were lost for words</a> during Monday night’s game. There really hasn’t ever been an instance of one official ejecting a player, allowing the ejection to be overturned, calling a different technical foul, and then having that foul overturned as well. Not to mention, there really hasn’t ever been an instance of the same official who made these mistakes going on to throw one of the best players in the NBA out of the game for arguing calls.</p><p>If anything, there was a major power trip going on in Philadelphia during this game, and it had nothing to do with the players or respective teams, which is a major disappointment for the league as a whole.</p><p>In the aftermath of the craziness that took place in Wells Fargo Center, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer conducted a pool report with Crew Chief Curtis Blair to <a href="https://official.nba.com/pool-report-on-technical-fouls-and-ejection-in-second-quarter-of-tonights-san-antonio-at-philadelphia-game/" rel="noopener">set the record straight</a> on everything that happened with Drummond and Wembanyama, as well as the eventual ejection of Embiid.</p><p>When questioned about the Drummond-Wembanyama incident, Blair stated that further review of the matter determined that Drummond stepped on Wembanyama’s foot, which was deemed “incidental contact.” Due to Wembanyama tripping over Drummond’s foot, the technical foul for “flopping” was reversed. This is also the reason why a point was taken off the board for the 76ers from Maxey’s free throw.</p><p>At this time, there has been no further comment from the league regarding what happened in Philadelphia between both teams and the officials. It is yet to be seen if Embiid will face further discipline after being thrown out of this contest for blowing up on the officials.</p><p>As for Wembanyama and Drummond, this incident is being swept under the rug as if nothing ever happened.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama drops blunt take on Andre Drummond ejection fiasco

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-brutally-honest-motivation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama gets brutally honest about ‘motivation’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spurs-news-Victor-Wembanyama-gets-brutally-honest-about-motivation.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama gets brutally honest about ‘motivation’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T05:30:12-08:00">December 24th, 5:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T05:30:12-08:00">December 24th, 5:30am</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In what’s becoming old hat for y0ung Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs superstar continues to establish statistical firsts. In scoring 30 points and blocking 10 shots in a recent win vs. the Portland Trail Blazers, the 7-foot-5 center became the youngest player to register those numbers in a game. That same night, he became the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-surpasses-stephen-curry-james-harden-unreal-3-point-feat">fastest player in league history to hit 200 career three-pointers</a>.</p><p>After he joined just five other players in NBA annals with 30+ points and 10+ blocks in the same contest, Wemby was asked if it’s becoming increasingly tough to find motivation.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Victor Wembanyama is the sixth player in NBA history to have 30+ points and 10+ blocks in the same game.</p><p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<br>Artis Gilmore<br>Dwight Howard<br>Hakeem Olajuwon (5)<br>David Robinson (3)<br>Victor Wembanyama</p><p>— Jordan Howenstine (@AirlessJordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/AirlessJordan/status/1870672564810367454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>His answer was as blunt as it was revealing.</p><p>“It’s really not hard to find motivation. I still don’t have any team achievement in my career. We haven’t qualified to the playoffs, we haven’t won a playoff series yet or won it all.”</p><p>Just 20 years old, the top overall pick in the 2023 draft is under no delusion about what remains.</p><p>“Motivation is really not a hard thing to find in this league.”</p><h2>Victor Wembanyama’s latest growth</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spurs-Victor-Wembanyama-speaks.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-immediate-reaction-to-winning-rookie-of-the-year">reigning Rookie of the Year</a> builds on what has the makings of a fantastic career, Wembanyama’s improving on the day-to-day aspects that have led to his latest accomplishments.</p><p>“I think he’s been more forceful. I think he’s been a little bit more patient when he catches the ball, especially when he’s not being guarded by the traditional five-man with the size,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson continued. “I think he’s done a good job of just facing up and seeing when he has that one-on-one on space to continue to push through that initial contact and once he does that because he’s so long with those steps and this strides, he gets to the rim and it’s hard to not have incidental or more than incidental contact.”</p><p>Wemby’s efficiency from three-point range has also improved.</p><p>“You know, every player knows that there’s days where you can’t make a shot, whether it’s practice or a game or this and this, it just doesn’t feel right,” the Spurs leading scorer shared.</p><p>“But those games happen less and less over the years. I thank my past self for that.”</p><p>In growing up watching some of the game’s best shooters – including the top two in three-pointers made – Stephen Curry and James Harden, both whom he beat to career 200 three-pointers – Wemby appreciates his own hard work.”</p><p>“I remember being 15 years old and spending so much time getting shots up with coaches in the gym late. It hasn’t always transitioned to games because I’ve been through so many different levels of opponents over time. I think I’m growing into it naturally, so it’s good and I thank the past myself for allowing me to make 200 at least.”</p><p>The French phenom is focusing on parlaying his success to the Spurs. Johnson says it works both ways.</p><p>“I think we did a good job as a team in terms of being connected where Victor was in the right place to make those ten blocks, but then when we dribbled it or passed out those other guys were in good position as well,” the 38-year-old coach revealed following the aforementioned <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDodBJRYEO0" rel="noopener">victory vs. the Blazers</a>.</p><p>The Spurs know that their overall position rests on Wembanyama.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama gets brutally honest about ‘motivation’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/76ers-vs-spurs-refs-joel-embiid-victor-wembanyama');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers vs. Spurs: Refs overshadow Joel Embiid, Victor Wembanyama showdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/76ers-vs-Spurs.jpg"></figure><h1>76ers vs. Spurs: Refs overshadow Joel Embiid, Victor Wembanyama showdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T18:31:37-08:00">December 23rd, 6:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T20:27:31-08:00">December 23rd, 8:27pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) got their first look of the season at the San Antonio Spurs (15-14) in their final home game of 2024. In an absolute circus of a basketball game, the Sixers held on to win 111-106.</p><p>After taking a game off on the second night of a back-to-back, Joel Embiid returned to the starting lineup to face Victor Wembanyama and the upstart Spurs. A Rookie-of-the-Year contender showdown between Jared McCain and Stephon Castle was canceled because of the former’s injury. But with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-kelly-oubre-jr-locker-room-vibes-win-hornets">the Sixers’ three stars all in action</a>, the stage was set for a competitive game.</p><p>The result was indeed that…just not in a way anyone wanted.</p><h2><b>Superstar bigs collide</b></h2><p>The last time Embiid and Wembanyama faced off in the NBA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-joel-embiid-reveals-significance-of-having-70-point-game-in-front-of-brett-brown">Embiid set the 76ers’ single-game record for points, scoring 70</a>. Wemby was great in that game in his own right but the Sixers came out with the win. The superstar giants saw each other again in the Olympics with Embiid’s American squad taking home the gold over Wemby and Les Bleus.</p><p>Tonight’s matchup of the bigs was ended prematurely in one of the many displays of unbelievable officiating.</p><p>Embiid bodied Wembanyama time after time, backing him down relentlessly like a father playing one-on-one in the driveway against their son. Even for someone as long as the Spurs star, it was not easy to prevent his opponent from setting up in good spots. Embiid drew a shooting foul on Wemby on his first touch (though he gave it right back to San Antonio by pursuing a Devin Vassell three-pointer too hard).</p><p>Wemby had a rough night shooting the ball from downtown. Embiid’s size surely dissuaded him from taking certain shots and he couldn’t connect from downtown or establish inside position. He didn’t have the most sparkling half but he seemed to have the rising superstar’s number. And then the Grinch stole any sanity left in this hotly contested game.</p><p>Right before halftime, Embiid was called for a charge and argued the call, which would have left him with three fouls. He was animated and the referee who made the call, Jenna Schroeder, had enough of Embiid’s grumbling after roughly 15 seconds. She assessed him two quick technical fouls, which only angered him more. He was held back by teammates and staffers as an already wild game got kicked up from an 11 to about a 47.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joel Embiid has been ejected from Sixers-Spurs after picking up two technical fouls where he was called for a charge against Wemby on this play.</p><p>Good or bad ejection? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/a4E0SQycGy">pic.twitter.com/a4E0SQycGy</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871362075219693774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>And that’s all that was written for Embiid vs. Wemby, Part 3.</p><p>The most notable part of Wemby’s game might have been his <a href="https://x.com/BySamDiGiovanni/status/1871356714580414491" rel="noopener">run-in in the second quarter</a> with Andre Drummond. The refs calling a tech on Drummond, then calling another, then calling a flopping technical on Wemby and then rescinding it after the Sixers shot their technical free-throw made for some wonderful Ref Ball. That’s what the people come to see!</p><h2><b>Overcoming Wemby’s defense</b></h2><p>Before the game, Nick Nurse all but admitted defeat when it came to shooting right at the basket against Wembanyama. He said that the Sixers need to <a href="https://x.com/dan_olinger/status/1871325723019170007" rel="noopener">get drive-and-kick sequences</a> and refrain from trying the NBA’s blocks leader at the rim. Embiid being in the lineup certainly made things easier, though constructing buckets against Wemby when he rested would be a challenge for a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-paul-george-key-fix-must-be-made-cavs-loss">Sixers offense that was anything but elite without him</a>.</p><p>Embiid’s gravity pulled Wemby away from the rim far, opening lanes for Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to get deep into the paint. He drew Jeremy Sochan away from PG, freeing him up for a triple. Embiid was big enough to push Wemby around. Unsurprisingly, no one else was.</p><p>The other Sixers were very hesitant to try Wemby. Without Embiid, they were almost entirely incapable of scoring in the paint. Drummond found out the hard way before all the shenanigans happened. His attempt to squeeze a layup by Wemby was thwarted quickly and emphatically. It was the first of three blocks in the final 80 seconds of the first quarter for the French Slenderman.</p><p>Without Embiid in the second half, Wemby was free to roam the court and scare off would-be shooters. He forced the Sixers into shooting more threes. Although their shooting had been unimpressive, they rose to the occasion, nailing three of them in the span of two minutes to take their largest lead of the night. Maxey set up a lot of the threes with crisp drive-and-kicks, raising his team’s volume to match that of San Antonio.</p><p>The Spurs punched back in the third quarter. A charge led by rookie Stephon Castle cut a 15-point deficit as low as six. They launched lots of treys with thoughts of a comeback dancing in their heads. However, the Sixers kept the ball moving and hit shots of their own, holding on tightly to their lead.</p><p>As Philly’s offense stalled, Chris Paul hit a huge three to put the Spurs ahead midway through the fourth quarter. It was a tight contest the rest of the way, neither team running out to big advantages. They traded buckets in the final minutes, one of which was an and-one dunk from Maxey. Then he stuck the dagger into his opponent with a step-back three, concluding his night with 32 points (12 in the fourth quarter), 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.</p><p>Maxey taking charge was precisely what the Sixers needed in this game. It’s something to build on for future Embiid-less stretches and a reminder that he’s not someone to lay down when things get hard.</p><h2><b>Sacre bleu, Guerschon Yabusele!</b></h2><p>Wembanyama wasn’t the only Frenchie wreaking havoc.</p><p>Yabusele gave the Sixers a huge lift off the bench, igniting the run in the third quarter and hitting some huge shots early on. He saw a huge uptick in minutes with Embiid out, starting the second half and matching up with Wembanyama often. He expertly used the rim to prevent Wemby from blocking one of his layup attempts and straight up made shots (6-8 from the field).</p><p>On defense, Yabusele was just as impressive. How many players are capable of blocking Wemby and baiting CP3 into a turnover? The 76ers forward did both in this one on his way to racking up a game-high four steals.</p><p>KJ Martin started and made some great hustle plays but he wasn’t having his best game. The Sixers sorely needed Yabusele in this one, especially with Drummond being ruled out in the third quarter due to a toe injury and Martin later being ruled out in the fourth.</p><p>Next up for the 76ers: a six-game road trip that will take them into the new year. It begins on Christmas with their first matchup against the Boston Celtics this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers vs. Spurs: Refs overshadow Joel Embiid, Victor Wembanyama showdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/76ers-news-fans-lose-joel-embiids-ejection-foul-victor-wembanyama');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers fans lose it over Joel Embiid’s ejection after foul on Victor Wembanyama');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/76ers-news-Joel-Embiid-gets-ejected-for-controversial-foul-on-Victor-Wembanyama.jpg"></figure><h1>76ers fans lose it over Joel Embiid’s ejection after foul on Victor Wembanyama</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T17:45:53-08:00">December 23rd, 5:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T17:58:33-08:00">December 23rd, 5:58pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The night ended a little early for Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid after he was called for two technical fouls and subsequently ejected from Monday night’s home game versus the visiting San Antonio Spurs.</p><p>The disqualifying second technical foul was slapped on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-joel-embiid-wins-mvp-award-after-historic-2022-23-season">76ers franchise player and former NBA Most Valuable Player</a> in the third quarter and with the 76ers trailing the visitors by two points after he got called for a foul on star Victor Wembanyama.</p><p>Before he got tossed from the contest, Embiid had scored nine points on just 2-for-8 shooting from the floor to go with six rebounds, five assists and a steal in 14 minutes of action</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joel Embiid was FURIOUS after picking up an offensive foul on Wemby 😳</p><p>Embiid was hit with two techs and was ejected 😬 <a href="https://t.co/9rVIGazig1">pic.twitter.com/9rVIGazig1</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1871363566726524984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Fans have strong reactions to Joel Embiid’s ejection from Spurs-76ers game</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Joel-Embiid.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As expected, fans reacted strongly to Embiid’s ejection, with many using that as an example of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-blame-nba-ratings-dip-but-he-asks-key-question">why the NBA’s ratings are down</a>.</p><p>“Yeah Joel Embiid earned this ejection. No need to yell in that woman’s face like that with all due respect,” <a href="https://x.com/casualtakeking/status/1871365178383823221" rel="noopener">said </a>an X user.</p><p>“Joel Embiid just got tossed for this…Keep in mind, this was right after the same ref tossed Andre Drummond for the most obvious &amp; blatant Wemby flop you’ve ever seen. Wtf is happening? Haven’t seen Embiid that heated before…NBA refs remain a joke,” <a href="https://x.com/JoshReynolds24/status/1871362687990628401" rel="noopener">said another commenter</a>, who was also referring to 76ers backup center Andre Drummond’s ejection earlier in the game (which was later rescinded).</p><p>From <a href="https://x.com/BronGotGame/status/1871362395966431619" rel="noopener">another X user</a>: “The league wonders why the ratings down and you got these soft a*s refs ejecting Embiid when people came to see him &amp; Wemby match up.”</p><p>“Oh my god the same ref who ejected Andre Drummond just ejected Joel Embiid. What is going on,” a <a href="https://x.com/big_business_/status/1871361468631007309" rel="noopener">different comment</a> read.</p><p>Via another <a href="https://x.com/PlayoffLucro/status/1871363475257324021" rel="noopener">comment</a>: “Refs use ejections as a threat if a player starts arguing with them 🤦🏾‍♂️ Embiid got ejected for screaming in an arena lmao atp you have to hold the refs accountable and fine them the whole games worth for mistakes like this.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers fans lose it over Joel Embiid’s ejection after foul on Victor Wembanyama

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-surpasses-stephen-curry-james-harden-unreal-3-point-feat');   ga('set', 'title', 'Victor Wembanyama surpasses Stephen Curry, James Harden with 3-point feat');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Victor-Wembanyama-surpasses-Stephen-Curry-James-Harden-Ray-Allen-with-unreal-3-point-feat.jpg"></figure><h1>Victor Wembanyama surpasses Stephen Curry, James Harden with 3-point feat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T07:02:47-08:00">December 22nd, 7:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T07:02:47-08:00">December 22nd, 7:02am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Antonio Spurs superstar center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-makes-nba-history-bonkers-performance-vs-hawks">Victor Wembanyama isn’t a stranger to making NBA history</a>. Sure, the 20-year-old French phenom is just 94 games into his NBA career, but he’s already <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-replicates-wild-tim-duncan-rookie-record-amid-dpoy-bid">cracked the NBA record book on numerous occasions</a>. Take for example, on Saturday night, when in a 114-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Wembanyama became the only player in league history to have 10 blocks and 4 three-pointers made in the same game.</p><p>But for a moment, let’s zoom out and evaluate the spectacular play of Victor Wembanyama not just on Saturday night, but over the course of what has so far been a sensational 94 game career. And let’s look at what the future face of the NBA has accomplished from three-point range in comparison to the three most prolific long-range shooters ever.</p><p>Per San Antonio Spurs PR specialist Jordan Howenstine, Wembanyama made his 200th career three-pointer on Saturday night, <a href="https://x.com/AirlessJordan/status/1870669538653876390" rel="noopener">reaching that mark faster</a> than Stephen Curry (who did so in 99 career games), James Harden (153 career games) and Ray Allen (131 career games). Curry, Harden and Allen currently top the list of the most three-pointers made in NBA history.</p><p>Now, it <i>is </i>important to consider context in an exercise like this one. Part of this has to do with Wemby having the green light right away to launch triples at an historic pace in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-complains-about-3s-in-nba">three-point happy NBA</a>. Wemby is shooting nine threes per game so far this season. Ray Allen never shot that many three’s in a single season, reaching a career high in attempts of 8.4 per game in his 10th year in the league. It took Curry until his 7th season to shoot more than 9 three-pointers per game, and Harden until his 8th season.</p><p>With that said, it’s unlikely that Wembanyama will see a dip in his attempts any time soon, especially if he continues to improve from three-point range. After hitting just under 33 percent of his three’s during his unprecedented rookie season, Wemby is up to 35 percent this year, and he’s hit 40 percent of his triples in his last 15 games after a slow start to the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.8	9.9	3.9	4.0	1.1

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.8	9.9	3.9	4.0	1.1

Victor Wembanyama

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76ers fans lose it over Joel Embiid’s ejection after foul on Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama surpasses Stephen Curry, James Harden with 3-point feat

Victor
Wembanyama