NBA gives Joel Embiid tech for waving towel from bench, admits to missing game-altering travel

The NBA’s Last 2 Minute report for the Sixers-Pacers contest assessed Joel Embiid with a technical for waving a towel from the bench and admitted to missing a game-altering traveling call.

The NBA is focusing on the important things, as always.

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid officially has more technical fouls than games played after the NBA assessed him with a postgame tech for his action during the Sixers’ overtime win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. It was announced in the last two minute report for the contest, posted Monday.

That action? Waving a towel from the bench while Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard attempted free throws. Embiid was watching from the sideline as he continues progressing through injury management toward his season debut. So make that one technical foul, zero games played.

Alright, this is technically against the rules, as the NBA rulebook states:

“During all free throw attempts, no opponent in the game shall disconcert the shooter once the ball is placed at his disposal. The following are acts of disconcertion:

Waving his arms or making a sudden movement when in the visual field of the shooter during any free throw attempt”

That being said, it still feels like a weak call, especially one to make not on the floor at the time but instead assess postgame upon reviewing game footage. But I digress.

Thank goodness the NBA is focusing on the important things here. The things that really matter. It’s not like they missed anything else perhaps more important from that game… right?

Well… not exactly.

Pacers’ guard Tyrese Haliburton sent the contest to overtime in dramatic fashion, hitting an improbable triple to tie the game with just a few seconds left in regulation. Even in real time, it looked like Haliburton’s step-back behind the arc took… a lot of steps. But, no whistle. He sinks the shot, and we go to overtime.

Turns out, it was a lot of steps for Haliburton. The league said in the last two minute report that the non-call on the floor was incorrect, and that “Haliburton (IND) gathers the ball and takes more than two steps before attempting the shot” which should have resulted in a turnover for a traveling violation.

Now that is a major mistake—something that affected the game and could have resulted in a complete change of outcome. The game was sent to overtime because of that play.

Sure, the Sixers ended up winning in overtime and the Embiid technical foul is very unlikely to affect him (16 techs result in a suspension), but it’s hard not to laugh sometimes when the league displays where its priorities lay.