Neither Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid nor guard James Harden will be further reprimanded by the NBA after being called for flagrant fouls Thursday night. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Embiid was given a flagrant 1 but not ejected after he kicked Brooklyn Nets center Nick Claxton in the first quarter, while Harden was issued a flagrant 2 foul after hitting Nets forward Royce O’Neal in the groin. Claxton was there too was later expelled to make fun of.
The 76ers battled back to take a 3-0 series lead after a 102-97 win at the Nets.
NBA referee Tony Brothers told reporters after the game Embiid wasn’t ejected because his actions “didn’t rise to the level of excessiveness” while Harden’s action was due to “direct contact with the hip. Here are two fouls:
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Harden later called his exit “unacceptable” because he “didn’t do it in a private area.”
“I’m not labeled as a dirty player,” Harden said said. “… Somebody pulls you up defensively, and that’s a normal basketball reaction. I didn’t hit him hard enough for him to go down like that. But for a blatant 2, it’s unacceptable. It’s a playoff game. We’ve seen around the league, things are much more than that play. are worse. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a fault on my part. But it’s unacceptable. It’s not going to happen.”
The decision to take no action against both men comes days after the league suspended Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for one game for stomping Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series.
Green was immediately ejected for his actions – where he also yelled at the officials – while Sabonis was given a technical foul for a kerfuffle when he grabbed Green’s leg following a missed shot. The league later clarified that Green deserved the suspension Because of his “history of unsportsmanlike conduct”
