CLEVELAND — Joel Embiid went from fouling out to staying in.
And the Cleveland Cavaliers were none too happy about it.
Philadelphia’s All-Star had 36 points and 18 rebounds and played the final 4:12 after a charging call for his sixth foul was overturned, leading the 76ers to their sixth straight victory, 118-109 over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The Sixers were up 108-101 when Embiid was whistled for plowing into Evan Mobley while making a jumper.
As Cleveland fans began to celebrate Embiid’s apparent disqualification, Sixers coach Doc Rivers immediately challenged the call, which was overturned after a replay review, and the superstar was allowed to stay on the floor.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff thought it was a clear miss from the officiating crew of John Goble, Nick Bucher and Derek Richardson.
“It’s clear as day that’s a charge,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s no doubt about it. The call was made on the floor. He stands between him and the basket. Evan laid it all out on the line. Guys ought to be reward for that. If you stick your nose in there and sacrifice your body, you should be rewarded for the correct play.”
Bickerstaff wasn’t satisfied with the explanation he received, either.
“They said there wasn’t enough contact to be a charge,” Bickerstaff said. “I mean, there’s a 300-pound man who bowls through your chest, it’s a charge. It’s that simple.”
Rivers said Embiid wasn’t the one to blame.
“I thought he flopped,” Rivers said of Mobley. “I called that one right away. I didn’t even look at my [replay] guy. I thought there was a good chance they would overturn it. I didn’t think they would foul Joel out on that.”
Afterward, Embiid said he was confident the call would be changed.
“I thought it was a good call [to overturn],” Embiid said. “I never extended my arm. Right before the hit, you could see he was already starting to flop. I watch basketball every day and I was pretty confident they would call it the other way.”
Philadelphia went 2-1 vs. Cleveland and wins any tiebreaker for playoff seeding.