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Rudy Gobert's Late Foul Against Joel Embiid Was Correct Call, Per NBA L2M Report
March 4, 2021
The NBA determined Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert was correctly called for a foul on Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in the final minute of overtime in Philadelphia's 131-123 overtime victory on Wednesday.
"Gobert (UTA) extends his forearm into Embiid's (PHI) back and the contact affects his play at the basket," the NBA said in its official Last Two Minute report.
With the Sixers up 126-123, Embiid grabbed the rebound from a Ben Simmons miss and attempted to go right back up, but his put-back hit the front rim. The All-Star center got a reprieve as the officials whistled Gobert for a foul.
Bigger than that decision was what came next. Jazz star Donovan Mitchell received a technical foul after visibly showing his frustration with the call. Embiid made sure the referees didn't overlook the transgression:
Mitchell's temper boiled over a little bit later after appearing to still be upset he was unable to draw a foul on Ben Simmons as he attempted a three-pointer in the corner. In Thursday's report, the NBA said Simmons didn't make contact and thus correctly avoided a foul.
The two-time All-Star continued to vent toward the official and received a second technical:
Mitchell didn't hold back after the game, telling reporters he thought the Jazz "won this game, in my personal opinion," alluding to how much he thought the officiating impacted the outcome:
While arguably the biggest calls went in Philadelphia's favor, both teams received some tough breaks based on the NBA report:
Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBAL2M report: - Embiid should have had 2 FTs at 1:14 left in 4th - Should have been a Jazz TO with 1:03 left - Simmons kick ball 1 min left - Mitchell should have had 2 FTs with 40s left - Should have been a Harris TO with 1:02 left in OT - Gobert 3s second call on same possession.
The All-Star break probably couldn't be coming at a better time for Utah, which has dropped three of its last four.
Head coach Quin Snyder and his team have some time off to reset and refocus on the second half. In the meantime, the NBA might be levying some fines the Jazz's way based on the aftermath of Wednesday's encounter.