Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ejected in controversial fashion during a chaotic first half against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Embiid was seen smiling and celebrating with his teammates on the court after the Sixers pulled out a 111-108 victory over Victor Wembanyama's Spurs, but the big man didn't speak to the media. The Sixers center left the stadium as reporters entered the locker room for postgame availability, according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright.

Embiid was ejected with a few minutes left in the first half. The Sixers star was whistled for his first technical foul of the game for arguing an offensive foul call after he barreled into Wembanyama. Embiid was upset with the technical and had to be restrained, leading referee Jenna Schroeder to assess a second technical foul and an ejection.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he didn't get an explanation for Embiid's ejection and “assumed it was for arguing.” Schroeder said Embiid was ejected for two unsportsmanlike technical fouls. There was some question if Embiid made contact with Schroeder during the incident, but crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter there was “incidental contact with both of them” but also noted “there was nothing that warranted any further punishment.”

The Joel Embiid fiasco came after Andre Drummond was ejected and then unejected. This whole sequence also involved Wembanyama and Schroeder, with Drummond picking up two quick technical fouls after a scuffle with Wemby. However, the second technical was rescinded after a review, leading Drummond to return to the court in a bizarre scene.

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Schroeder late admitted she “f***ed up.”

The good news for the Sixers is they didn't let this officiating mess ruin their night. Philadelphia picked up the crucial win behind 32 points from Tyrese Maxey, who hit a clutch 3-pointer in crunch time to help secure the win.

After a brutal 3-14 start to the season, the Sixers are 7-3 in their last 10 games to get up to 10-17. While that's still outside the play-in picture, they're only 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, who currently hold the final two play-in spots in the Eastern Conference.

If Embiid and the Sixers can actually stay healthy, they should continue their run up the standings. That's a big if, of course, but this team is showing signs of life.