"Stand on your toughness" - Montrezl Harrell questions Joel Embiid's tough demeanor after their scuffle during the Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards game

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Montrezl Harrell of the Washington Wizards got into an altercation late in the third quarter of their game.

The 76ers were starting to pull away from the Wizards when the two got into it. Harrell was eventually ejected after receiving another technical foul about half a minute later following the first altercation.

In a postgame interview, after the Wizards were blown away by the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Sixth Man of the Year awardee spoke about the incident. Montrezl Harrell was unapologetic and questioned Embiid’s toughness:

Here’s what the Washington Wizards backup big man had to say:

“He got an And-1 and yelled at my face, so I pushed him off…’Oh, I got pushed!’ Stand on your toughness, bro. If you’re so tough, stand on that my dude!... I got tossed, it is what it is… But I don’t regret it. I don’t want to take it back, it is what is, bro. I’m not gonna change how I play for nobody, man.”

With a little over three minutes left in the third quarter, Joel Embiid sized up Montrezl Harrell and bumped into the Wizards’ center. Harrell fell down and got back up to commit a hard foul on Embiid to prevent what could have been a thunderous dunk.

The foul was hard enough for JoJo to lose his balance when he came down. Harrell grabbed his jersey for good measure, which led to the altercation. The 28-year old NBA journeyman got a technical for his troubles.

About thirty seconds later, the two centers were back at it again. Joel Embiid grabbed a missed Georges Niang three-point attempt deep in the lane, went up strong and was fouled by Monterzl Harrell.

Embiid capped off the And-1 with an emphatic yell to celebrate. Pissed off by the basket and the yell, Harrell shoved the Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar big man and got himself another technical and automatic ejection.

Embiid clearly knows his gamesmanship. Aside from just destroying the Washington Wizards with his 36 points and 13 rebounds, he thoroughly played them with his antics.

Meanwhile, Harrell ended up with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers. He could have done more had he not fallen for Joel Embiid’s trickery.

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Can the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards get into the playoffs?

The Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers are in the thick of the fight for the East playoff seedings. [Photo: Los Angeles Times]

The Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards are currently ranked sixth and seventh, respectively in the East standings. They are both toting a 17-16 record after their last encounter. While two months have passed already, the rankings are still as muddled as ever.

The sixth-ranked Sixers are only two games ahead of the 12th ranked New York Knicks. With the virus outbreak possibly hitting its peak after the holidays, the standings could look very different two weeks into January.

Minus virus considerations, the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards have significant issues to figure out. The 76ers need more support for Joel Embiid. How the Ben Simmons saga plays out could mean the difference between becoming legit title contenders or play-in participants.

The Washington Wizards have been reeling in the last two weeks as well. Even if they have a full roster, they still need to regain the defensive tenacity and hustle they showed earlier in the season.

The season still has a long way to go and the threat of the virus will only make the playoff picture more unpredictable than ever.