Tempers flared between Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. during the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 125-112 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. Embiid was unhappy with Oubre’s defensive effort on a play in the third quarter and the two got into a heated exchange during a timeout afterward.
Joel Embiid & Kelly Oubre hug it out after a HEATED exchange 😅
Tough night for Philly in Detroit 😬 pic.twitter.com/U4C8M7Z2Vs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2025
Embiid and Oubre did hug it out at the end, but that was quite the altercation. Neither side was backing down and fortunately, things didn’t get ugly. It would appear Tyrese Maxey was the one who ended up playing peacemaker.
Oubre certainly didn’t cover himself in glory with his effort on that play and Embiid was right to call him out for it. What’s also true, though, is that this isn’t the norm when it comes to Oubre. He gives his all on both ends of the court on a nightly basis and what we saw on that play is an incredibly rare occurrence.
Effort has been an issue for the 76ers this season but Oubre is one of the few who can’t be accused of slacking. That might be why the 29-year-old was so upset there for being called out by Embiid over one instance.
While Embiid and Oubre mended fences later, they weren’t able to help the 76ers get the win here. This was yet another embarrassing defeat this season, considering the circumstances.
The Pistons were without both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey here and still managed to crush the 76ers. They were up 78-49 at halftime and led by as many as 34 points at one stage. It was a complete beatdown despite the 76ers having Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George on the court.
Embiid finished with 23 points (7-18 FG), seven rebounds, six assists, and two blocks against the Pistons while Maxey had 27 points (9-20 FG), three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. As for George, he had just 14 points (6-10 FG), one rebound, and one steal.
You could argue that Oubre played better than some of those 76ers stars against the Pistons. He ended up with 14 points (7-11 FG), 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. It was Oubre’s third double-double in his last four games and he is doing what he can to help the team get back on track.
With this loss, the 76ers have dropped to 20-31 on the season. It looks unlikelier by the passing day that this team will finish in the top six in the East to guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs. They’ll most probably be in the Play-In Tournament again, as was the case last season.
As for the Pistons, they improved to 26-26 on the season and are currently sixth in the East. It would be quite an achievement if they are able to hold on to that spot come the end of the season.
The Pistons snapped a two-game losing streak with this win and will be in action next against the Charlotte Hornets at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday at 1 PM ET. The 76ers, meanwhile, will take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Sunday at 2 PM ET.
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