Update: On Friday, the NBA fined Winslow $15,000 for stepping on Embiid's mask.
Heat forward Justise Winslow played perhaps the best half of basketball of his life during Thursday's 128-108 Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, but his most memorable moment had nothing to do with the way he played.
Winslow, who ended the half with 19 points and six rebounds while making 4-of-5 3-pointers, raised some eyebrows when a piece of Sixers center Joel Embiid's mask fell off during play. As Winslow went to pick up the piece lying near the free-throw line, he (almost certainly intentionally) stepped on it before picking it up. As if that weren't enough, it then appeared that Winslow tried to break the mask with his bare hands.
justise winslow stepping on embiid's mask pic.twitter.com/xNDkLeYbjr
— nbaayy (@nbaayy) April 20, 2018
Winslow's a strong guy, but there was no chance he was breaking a mask probably made of space-age fibers that doctors spent weeks perfecting.
After the game, Embiid wasn't impressed with Winslow's effort.
Embiid on his mask: "As far as the mask, Justise stepped on it and tried to break with his hands. But little did he know we have about 50 of them. It's going to take much more than that to get me out of these series. I'm going to be a nightmare for them too."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) April 20, 2018
Embiid got the mask fixed and returned to the court, finishing the game with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
