Joel Embiid Addresses Foul Calls in 76ers' Game 3 Loss to Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers were hoping to pick up their first win against the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs at home, and appeared to come out with major intensity in Game 3.

However, New York soon pulled even, then ahead, and went up by double digits by the fourth quarter, winning 108-94 to put themselves one win away from a sweep of Philly.

Some of the officiating has been a common complaint by the NBA, fans, players, and coaches this postseason, particularly after losses.

Big man Joel Embiid was asked his thoughts about the foul situation in Game 3, and delivered a blunt response about the free-throw disparity between his 76ers and the Knicks.

“They shot 32 free throws, we had 16. We’re not a team that shoots a lot of threes. We attack, put the ball on the ground. I don’t know,” he told reporters postgame.

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“I guess it’s good when New York wins, so we’ve just got to have that mentality of just not fouling, I guess, and being smart enough to not put ourselves in a position where they’re going to take advantage of it,” Embiid said.

Embiid finished with three fouls in his return to the court, playing 35 minutes after sitting out Game 2 due to injuries. His frontcourt teammates, Paul George and Kelly Oubre, had another seven fouls in the loss, while Philly’s starting lineup combined for 16 of the team’s 25 personal fouls.

New York had 21 personal fouls, with Karl Anthony-Towns getting five of them, Josh Hart picking up four, and Mikal Bridges with three, suggesting that it might not be all one-sided.

While the 76ers came out full of life and held a four-point first-quarter lead in Game 3, the Knicks outscored them every quarter after that, including a 33-21 second quarter to create further distance.

Not only did New York pick up a 3-0 series lead, but they also did it without key contributor OG Anunoby, who sat out this game due to the hamstring injury he suffered near the end of Game 2.

The Knicks have certainly looked like a much more aggressive team in their recent stretch of wins, with hustle plays, outrebounding opponents, stellar defense, and fast-break scoring. That could show they’re a tough team to stop at this time of the year.

And Embiid seemed to avoid criticizing the referees wisely, something that brought his first-round opponent, Jaylen Brown, a $50,000 fine after he complained the 76ers’ big man was “flopping around.”

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 10:10 AM.