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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been extremely vocal about the love he has for former Sixers teammate Jimmy Butler, and he showed Butler love on Instagram following Philly's 113-86 win over the Miami Heat on Saturday night.
Embiid posted a photo of him guarding Butler, complete with a “It's bigger than basketball” caption:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5PAMjzJH-Z/
Butler was welcomed back to The City of Brotherly Love with a series of boos during player introductions. He had arguably his worst game of the season, shooting 4-of-13 from the field and registered the worst plus-minus (minus-31) of any player in just over 30 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Embiid dominated in the paint. He scored 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with a pair of steals and two blocks in just over 25 minutes of run.
Embiid also spoke about his friendship with Butler after Friday's win over the San Antonio Spurs, saying he wished Butler had stayed in Philadelphia:
Butler came over to Philadelphia after forcing his way out of Minnesota, and while he initially struggled to fit in with his new Sixers teammates, Butler was probably Philly's best player during the playoffs.
However, the Sixers orchestrated a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat, sending Butler to South Beach and bringing Josh Richardson to Philadelphia.
The Sixers are starting to get in rhythm after winning their last four, and Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown has done a nice job of managing Embiid's minutes.
With Miami also looking impressive to start the season, there is even a chance that Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid could square off in the playoffs.
