Joel Embiid has savagely taunted the crowd after his Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets to take a 3-0 series lead in the opening round of the playoffs.

After the win, in which the Sixers turned a five-point deficit with just over two minutes to go into a five-point win, Embiid held his fingers to the crowd, repeatedly alternating between three and zero fingers to denote the series scoreline.

Embiid didn’t have a typically dominant night by any means: in a little over 37 minutes he managed just 14 points on 5-13 shooting, while also grabbing ten boards and accumulating a couple of blocks. However, he was hampered on and off by injury, and the Sixers won’t be at all concerned by his limited impact.

In fact, that they were still able to collect the win despite their star player having a subdued impact relative to what he would normally offer is a great sign for them going forward. James Harden – prior to his ejection – and in particular Tyrese Maxey pulled up the slack, with Harden putting up 21 points and Maxey 25 in an impressive performance.

With a 3-0 lead, something which Joel Embiid made perfectly clear to the stunned Brooklyn crowd, the 76ers now have the opportunity to sweep the series, and send the Nets packing on their own home floor. It would be an ignominious end to the season for a Nets side which just a few short months ago, was one of the title favorites. It would, however, be indicative of a latter half of the season which has seen Brooklyn fall mightily from grace, and the Sixers, courtesy in no small part of Embiid, develop into a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.