Joel Embiid gets a technical foul for heated altercation with Pistons player

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Joel Embiid gets a technical foul for heated altercation with Pistons player

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Nov 4, 2026 9:17 PM ET

Joel Embiid is adding another player to his beef list.

Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers played on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. In the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., Embiid was jostled underneath by Pistons forward Tolu Smith as 76ers teammate Jaylen Brown attacked the rim and drew the foul on Smith.

The seven-footer Embiid ended up with the ball after the whistle, and Smith promptly swatted it out of his hand. Embiid then got upset at Smith, and a small shoving match between the two players broke out before they were separated by teammates and staffers.

Take a look at the video of the heated incident.

JOEL EMBIID AND TOLU SMITH FIGHT. https://t.co/n2rtmZU7ht
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 5, 2026

In the end, Embiid was the only one who received a technical foul for the incident. Crew chief Marc Davis ruled after a review that Embiid was the one who had initiated the altercation.

Embiid, a former NBA MVP, is obviously the much better-known player of the two. But Smith, a former undrafted player, managed to successfully bait him into a technical foul during Wednesday’s game, continuing on Embiid’s longstanding tradition of feuding with Pistons big men.

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