Joel Embiid’s common foul against Damion Lee upgraded to Flagrant 1

On Monday night, Joel Embiid was issued a common foul against Damion Lee at the end of the third quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 100-88 win over the Phoenix Suns. The foul has now been upgraded to a Flagrant 1.

Upon further review, league officials believe Embiid intentionally tripped Lee with his right leg, after the Suns guard executed a pump fake around the 3-point arc.

According to some NBA betting sites, the 76ers have the 10th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A few sportsbooks are showing higher odds for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets.

Joel Embiid’s (PHI) common foul against Damion Lee (PHX) at 1:13 of the 3rd qtr on 11/7/22 has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 upon league review. pic.twitter.com/2gWv8lRWUR

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 8, 2022

Philadelphia led Phoenix 71-65 at this point of the matchup. In the first half, the 76ers outscored them 56-47. Moreover, this was Joel Embiid’s first game back after missing three games due to the flu.

Embiid ended his performance with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in 37 minutes of action.

76ers center Joel Embiid’s common foul against Suns guard Damion Lee has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1

The five-time All-Star also recorded his fourth double-double of the season. Though, it was not his best night shooting-wise. He shot 8-of-21 (38.1%) from the field and 1-of-4 (25%) from downtown.

“Our season began today,” Joel Embiid said after the win. “Everything before tonight didn’t count. The Phillies season is over, and I enjoyed watching them, and this was our first game since then, so this was the first game of the season.”

Of course, Embiid was not the only Sixer who had a good night.

Joel Embiid: “Our season started tonight. The Phillies are done, I enjoyed watching them so our season started tonight. The other games don’t count.” pic.twitter.com/fiCsjaQiSc

— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) November 8, 2022

“Forget about Joel, let’s talk about Georges Niang,” Tobias Harris joked. “Every time they made a run, Georges was there to make a big shot. Especially in the fourth quarter. He would stretch the lead from six to nine or seven to 10 and eventually it deflated them.”

Niang sank three 3-pointers during crunch time. In 27 minutes off the bench, the forward contributed 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Plus, he shot 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the floor and 7-of-10 (70%) from 3-point range.

The Sixers outscored the Suns 25-18 in the fourth quarter. Phoenix attempted to rally from a 19-point deficit, but Niang’s incredible performance was too much for the Western Conference contender.

In the end, Joel Embiid’s Flagrant 1 did not alter the outcome of the game for the 76ers.