Raptors coach Nick Nurse thinks the Sixers’ Joel Embiid should’ve been called for more fouls in Game 1
Nurse on Embiid: "If you beat him to the spot and he runs over, it's a foul. I thought he threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one."
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse knows the 76ers were the more physical team.
He acknowledged that while praising the Sixers after his Raptors’ 131-111 Game 1 loss in the Eastern Conference first-round series Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
However, Nurse believes more foul calls should have been made against Joel Embiid, who went to the foul line 11 times.
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The MVP candidate made nine of his free throws en route to 19 points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds and four assists.
“The counter is, we’ve got to believe that, if we’re legal defensively, that they’re going to call those,” Nurse said. “Like, we had a couple of times where we beat him to the spot and he bowled us right over, and they just let him lay it in.”
The coach, whose squad attempted 23 free throws compared to the Sixers’ 34, was not done.
“I don’t care if you’re 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, if you beat him to the spot and he runs you over, it’s a foul,” Nurse continued. “I thought he threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one. OK. I mean, we’re gonna stand in there. We just need, if we’re legal defensively, then we’ve got to have them called or we don’t have a chance, period.”
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Embiid injured Scottie Barnes when he inadvertently stepped on the Raptors rookie forward’s left foot. Barnes immediately fell to the court in a lot of pain and had to be helped off the court and to the Raptors’ locker room. He, didn’t return to the game and had an MRI on Sunday morning.
Raptors All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet was lost on the same play that Barnes went down. He and reserve forward Chris Boucher both fouled out on Saturday. Embiid had five fouls.
The Sixers center was also called for a flagrant foul 1 with 6 minutes, 3 seconds left in the half. Meanwhile, Barnes picked up a flagrant foul 1 in the third quarter.
Given the gap in fouls on Saturday, it will be worth watching how officials call Game 2 on Monday.
“Nobody can guard that guy if they’re just gonna let him run you over time and time again,” Nurse said of Embiid. “We’re gonna stand in there, and we’ll see if we don’t get a few more elbow to the face calls and a few more beat them to the spot calls.”