Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler sat at a podium Saturday night having a good laugh at the Nets’ expense. The 76ers had just taken a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Nets in a game in which Embiid scored 31 points and Butler added inspiration by getting ejected in the third quarter.
Asked why he joined Embiid for the postgame presser, Butler offered, “So he don’t do nothing stupid while he’s up here. We all know he’s a trolling son of gun. I’m just here to protect my big fella.”
There were plenty of chuckles, but protecting Embiid went a long way in the Sixers escaping Barclays Center with a 112-108 victory in Game 4.