ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 18: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Clint Capela #15 and John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at State Farm Arena on June 18, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
In a physical fourth quarter of Game 6, Joel Embiid and John Collins had to be separated following a brutal offensive foul.
Things got heated between the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, to the extent that Joel Embiid and John Collins got into a scuffle and had to be separated.
Embiid pulled down an offensive board, and when he went back up, he hit Collins hard in the face. Of course, Collins didn’t like Embiid landing on him on top of all that, so he reacted with a shove. Embiid didn’t like that either, and the fact that Trae Young came in and pushed him from behind certainly didn’t help matters, even if he was just sticking up for his teammate.
As you can see, the situation escalated quickly. And yes, hockey fans, this a fight by NBA standards.
Embiid was rightly given an offensive foul and both players were assessed a technical.
Embiid and Collins scuffle in Game 6
No doubt, Collins’ earlier alley-oop throw-down on top of Embiid only added fuel to the fire. When a series goes this long, there’s always beef. Thankfully, at least no one got injured in the commotion — there have been more than enough injuries in the playoffs already.
In the end, the Sixers got the job done, holding on down the stretch for a 104-99 victory. The series will head back to Philadelphia for Game 7.
Both the Hawks and the Sixers have their eyes on the Eastern Conference Finals. Who’s most ready for the challenge?