The Boston Celtics earned a hard-fought 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night in Game 3 of their second round matchup to take a 2-1 series lead. The win came with one major battle scar, though. Midway through the fourth quarter, NBA MVP Joel Embiid accidentally stomped on the head of Celtics forward Grant Williams during a battle for a loose ball. Somehow, Williams was okay, and was able to joke about it after the game.
Embiid lost his balance as Williams and teammate Jaylen Brown drove for a loose ball. Embiid’s foot landed right on Williams’ head. That had to hurt: Embiid is conservatively listed at 7-foot, 280 pounds. It’s a miracle that Williams was able to shake it off and stay in the game. Watch the play here:
This is of course not the first stomp of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Draymond Green stomped on the chest of Domantas Sabonis during the first round series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Green was ejected and eventually suspended, but the big difference between the two stomps is that Green’s was deemed intentional by the league. Embiid remained in the game and will not face discipline from the league.
Embiid apologized to Williams after the play. “It’s the playoffs, brother,” Williams said as Embiid explained how he fell. “This is what we battle for.”
Williams spoke to reporters about the moment after the game:
“I was like, dang, I really got curb stomped!” Williams told The Athletic. “I got curb stomped a little bit, but it wasn’t intentional. It’s the playoffs, so you expect battles like this. You expect to bleed, you expect to be elbowed. It’s nothing new. So for me, it was just like, get me back into the game as soon as possible.”
Jaylen Brown called it the craziest thing he’s ever seen on a basketball court.
“When I saw Grant get his head stepped on by a 300-pound individual, to see that live was crazy,” Brown said. “Seeing that in real time, it was probably the craziest thing I’ve seen on a basketball court.”
The Celtics controlled Game 3 throughout the second half, and have now won both games Embiid has played in during this series. The Sixers earned a shocking Game 1 with Embiid injured to begin the series. Embiid finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.
Williams, meanwhile, has become an important piece for the Celtics after being out of the rotation earlier in the playoffs. Williams played 29 minutes in the Game 2 win, and 23 minutes in the Game 3 win. He only played four minutes in Boston’s Game 1 loss.
Philly has to get James Harden going. After a 45 point masterpiece in Game 1, Harden shot 2-of-14 from the field in Game 2, and 3-of-14 from the field in Game 3.
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