Joel Embiid Denies LeBron Practice Spat

Joel Embiid says the rumored practice spat with LeBron James never happened. After the Sixers' preseason game against the Nets, Embiid called it “not true” and said he feels like an “easy target.” LeBron also posted “stop the lies” on Instagram, saying Embiid hasn’t been late to practice. Nick Nurse backed that up, saying Embiid has been on the floor and is in great shape. Mike Breen originally mentioned the story during a preseason broadcast, then apologized after the pushback. Embiid had six points and eight turnovers in 24 minutes Thursday, while LeBron scored 10 in 18 minutes. Philly has two preseason games left before opening Oct. 20 against the defending champion Knicks at Madison Square Garden.