76ers’ Embiid fined $75,000 for obscene gestures

NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Friday for making obscene gestures during the first half of his club’s 118-114 road victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

The fine comes nearly two months after Embiid was suspended for three games without pay for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes.

Overall, it was a strange day in Boston for Embiid, who fell to the parquet floor during warmups before Wednesday’s game but remained in the starting lineup.

Embiid was taking shots near the sideline about 45 minutes before tipoff and appeared to get caught up in a security rope separating the players from the fans sitting courtside. The 2023 NBA MVP grabbed his right ankle and remained on the court for a minute before walking off to the locker room.

Embiid finished with 27 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes of the victory. Though Embiid has played only nine games this season, he is averaging 21.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Embiid and the 76ers will take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.