Before the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers went back to their locker rooms for halftime on Saturday night, Joel Embiid and Devin Booker exchanged words.

After Embiid lost his footing, he went to the ground and eventually tossed the ball up before the whistles went off. When he got up, it appeared that Embiid and Booker had a bit of a heated exchange. Players, security, and officials came over to prevent it from going any further.

Following the matchup, Devin Booker detailed the exchange, sending a clear message to Embiid.

“I got into it with him a little bit at halftime,” Booker told reporters. “I told him he’s too good a player to be flopping like that.”

That’s certainly not the first time Embiid has heard a message like that from one of his peers. Years ago, Embiid made it clear that getting fouls has become a skill in today’s NBA. Some could say he’s mastered it. Oftentimes, that frustrates the opponent, similar to Booker and his Phoenix teammate, Dillon Brooks.

“I can guard the flopping and all that,” Brooks said after the game. “Went to the line 13 times. It’s a lot, especially for stuff that’s not even a shooting foul. It’s a great crew of refs that were reffing the game for Philly tonight.”

Being a solid free-throw shooter, Embiid racked up 11 of his 33 points from 13 free throws on Saturday in Phoenix. The veteran big man made 9-19 from the field, drilling 4-7 from three. In 33 minutes, he was one rebound shy of a double-double, posting a line of 33 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block.

While Booker and Embiid had the halftime exchange, the star guard made it clear there is no bad blood there.

“We have Olympic experience together,” Booker added. “So, that’s somebody I have high respect for. It’s just competition.”

Ahead of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Booker and Embiid teamed up out in Paris to represent the USA. They both won their first gold medal at the time.

On Saturday, the Sixers managed to make it out of Arizona with a 109-103 win. They moved to 30-22 on the season. For Embiid, that was game 31. This season, he’s averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

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