‘Matchup I’ve Dominated’: Joel Embiid Trash Talks Myles Turner Following 76ers Win Over Pacers

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to winning ways tonight after a surprising loss on Saturday. They beat the Indiana Pacers, led by MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid.

The Cameroonian led the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field. During the post-game interview, he trash-talked Pacers’ Myles Turner but tried to avoid being disrespectful. He said, “I say this respectfully, but that’s a matchup I’ve dominated since I got to the league.”

Ranked in the top five candidates for the DPOY so far, Turner was nowhere close to his best tonight. Not only did he let Embiid have an excellent game, but he was unable to get going himself. Embiid restricted him to just 11 points and three rebounds, and he was ineffective for the Pacers.

Turner’s paint presence is key for the Pacers on defense. But he offered little tonight, as Embiid dominated him once again. The 76ers cruised to a 16 point win and handed the Pacers their 18th loss of the season.

Does Joel Embiid have the numbers to back his statement?

One of the main changes coming about as the league becoming ‘soft’ is the decline of trash talk. A decade or two ago, the league had players like Kevin Garnett and Michael Jordan who would completely demoralize others with their trash talk. Since then, trash-talking is slowly dying.

While Embiid’s statement isn’t the usual form of trash-talking, it still counts. Embiid can rightfully say what he said since he didn’t lie at all with his statement. In the 11 games they have played against each other, Embiid is averaging 28 points and 12.6 rebounds. He is also shooting an impressive average of 51% in these matchups.

Not only is he thriving on offense against Turner, but he is also clamping him. Turner just averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in their 11 games while shooting 38% from the field.

When they last faced each other before tonight’s game, Embiid dropped 41 points and had 21 rebounds. He also shot 15-23 and gave Turner no chance. In comparison, the Pacers center only had nine points and two rebounds and also got fouled out trying to defend Embiid.

Embiid has earned his right to trash talk here, and all Turner can do is try to shut him up when they face off next time.

ALSO READ – Joel Embiid Laments Lackluster Defense and Shooting in Shock Loss To Cavaliers