Joel Embiid was left in disbelief after teammate James Harden was ejected as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Brooklyn Nets 102-97 to take a 3-0 lead in their playoffs series.
Although Embiid could count himself lucky to have not been ejected himself after kicking out at Nic Claxton earlier in the game and yet still remaining in the game.
As for the Harden decision, it came just in the latter stages of the third quarter as the Sixers gave up a 13-point lead to set up a thrilling finish against a desperate Nets side.
Harden was having a team-best night with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes when he was called for an offensive foul as he collided with Royce O’Neal.
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After landing, Claxton stared down Embiid and began to step over him a la Allen Iverson over Tyron Lue. Embiid seemingly took offence. As Claxton was stepping over him, Embiid kicked out with his left leg at Claxton’s midsection. He didn’t land a clean shot, but it knocked Claxton to the ground and a scuffle between the two teams quickly followed. After review, Embiid received a flagrant 1 foul for the kick, while Claxton received a technical for taunting Embiid. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in my career before, for a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at …and for him to continue to play,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said post-game. “I’ve never seen that before. Intentionally.” Harden missed the 76ers’ free throw for the technical foul, and Clacton nailed the Nets’ free throw for the flagrant foul. Brooks savages ‘old’ LeBron James | 00:34 That left the Nets leading 7-4 with nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter. The 76ers entered the game up 2-0 in the series. Near the end of the first quarter, Embiid headed to the locker room, though the reason for his exit wasn’t clear and he returned in the second quarter. Though it was a similar act, Embiid did not receive the same punishment Green got. “It is what it is,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said during an on-court interview following the first quarter. “That’s what teams do now. Then when you respond, you get suspended, so we have to be very careful.” During the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Kings, Green stomped on Sabonis’ chest after the latter grabbed Greens’ ankle while lying on the court following a Warriors possession. Green, after riling up and engaging with opposing Kings fans, subsequently received a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected for the game. Green was suspended for one game, meaning he will miss Game 3 on Friday [AEST]. Unlike Green, Embiid does not have a history of dirty or unsportsmanlike plays, which NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars cited as one of the main reasons Green received a suspension. Embiid got off to a slow start in Friday’s game, finishing the first quarter with just two points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field while missing both of his first two 3-pointers. Claxton, on the other hand, started the game strongly with the Nets fighting to avoid an 0-3 hole, nailing his first three field goals, including the dunk over Embiid. A few key buckets from Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 25 points, ended up being enough to see Philadelphia home as the Sixers took a 3-0 series lead. This article first appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
