Charles Barkley wasn’t impressed with heated 76ers-Pistons scuffle: ‘Been kissed harder’
Call Charles Barkley unimpressed with the brouhaha in one of the NBA’s marquee games on Wednesday night.
The 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Pistons’ Tolu Smith III got into it under the basket with 1:25 left to play in the first half in Detroit. The two big men were battling hard for position in the paint as Philly’s Jaylen Brown drove to the basket.
Brown was fouled, but Embiid jumped to collect the missed shot.
Smith then decided to knock the ball out of Embiid’s hands, and it sparked a light shoving match before their respective teammates and coaches came onto the court to pull them apart and keep things from escalating.
The action did little for the “Inside the NBA” crew after Shaquille O’Neal joked he’d “Call the cops” on them. Barkley quickly shot back, feeling the “police presence” O’Neal was calling for wasn’t needed in this case.
“I’ve been kissed harder,” Barkley responded.
Kenny Smith saw an opening to rag on his colleague a bit and took it.
“Stop telling us about your love life,” Smith replied.
Barkley, Smith and O’Neal played a much more physical era of basketball than today’s game, so it’s understandable why that fight was underwhelming to them.
Embiid, who was given a technical foul for initiating the altercation, was involved in another odd incident earlier in the game when he faked a shot and it appeared his leg hit Cade Cunningham low as he passed the ball.
The veteran Embiid had a monster game in the 112-106 win that moved the SIxers to 8-1, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
Brown had 30 points, and LeBron James chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The new-look 76ers have the most wins in the NBA.
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