Joel Embiid dunked on Russell Westbrook and renewed a war between the 2 superstars
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Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook continued one of the most compelling rivalries in the NBA on Sunday night when the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In December, the two teams got a bit heated with each other during a marathon, triple-overtime game won by the Thunder. After that meeting, Embiid and Westbrook traded some harsh comments, and on Sunday night, it was clear that neither man had forgotten the encounter.
The drama began in the first quarter, when Embiid dunked on Westbrook and then glared at him as he laid on the ground.
From there, it was clear that tensions would be high between the two superstars. Moments later, Westbrook's teammate Paul George attempted to avenge his comrade, but fell just short of the mark on what would've been a Dunk of the Year candidate.
In the second quarter, Westbrook got his own revenge, slashing through the lane and thundering home a vicious dunk of his own. Embiid was on the bench at the time, but Westbrook shot a glance in his direction as he paraded to midcourt in celebration.
While it was a back and forth game all night, the Thunder pulled away in the fourth quarter, and eventually secured the victory, 122-112. As Westbrook dribbled the final seconds of the game away, he again stared down Embiid on the Sixers' bench, thinking he had gotten the last laugh.
But even though the Sixers took the loss in the game, Embiid would get the best of Westbrook before the night was over, thanks to yet another brilliant post to Twitter that ensured Westbrook would not soon forget the posterization he received that night.
Russell Westbrook finished the game with 37 points, 14 assists, and nine rebounds, while Embiid had a night of 27 points, 10 rebounds, and one perfect tweet.
It was the last meeting between the Thunder and Sixers for this season, but there's little doubt that the two will be back at it again next year.