The Philadelphia 76ers lost a heartbreaker to the New York Knicks on Monday night.
They had the game in the bag until the Knicks scored six points in 14 seconds to take a one-point lead. They later won by three, 104-101.
It had every 76ers player, including Joel Embiid, shell-shocked in the locker room. Embiid had his head down while taking questions and that rubbed Charles Barkley the wrong way.
“He’s the leader of the team…one of the best players in the world,” Barkley said during TNT’s post-game coverage. “As a leader of the team, he cannot have his head down.”
While Barkley has a good point, it’s obvious that Embiid was stunned by what just happened. The 76ers were on the cusp of tying this series before the Knicks snatched the victory away.
Embiid finished the game with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists and will need to keep playing at that level if the 76ers have any chance of coming back in this series.
Games 3 and 4 will be in Philadelphia, starting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Game 4 will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.