PHILADELPHIA — The New York Knicks took exception to the flagrant foul Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid committed on Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter of Philadelphia’s 125-114 Game 3 victory, calling it “dirty” and saying Robinson was fortunate to avoid serious injury on the play.
“It was dirty,” Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “It was dirty.”
“I mean, we’re just happy Mitch didn’t get a serious injury on that,” Knicks forward Josh Hart added. “I’m all for tough fouls, tough playoff fouls, but that’s something that can put a guy out for a significant amount of time. So we’re lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt during that time.”
The play came with 4:34 in the first quarter, when Embiid fell to the ground trying to draw an offensive foul — which wasn’t called — and then he grabbed at Robinson’s right leg as he landed on the ground nearby.
Robinson, who was questionable coming into the game with left ankle injury management — the same ankle he had surgery on earlier this season — fell to the ground. And as the game went on his movement steadily got worse, to the point where he eventually was ruled out after halftime with a left ankle sprain.