Bad news: A key player for the 76ers has been suspended because of his wife.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, after both guard James Harden and center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers were called for flagrant fouls on Thursday night, the NBA will not be punishing either player further.
After kicking Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton in the first quarter, Embiid was called for a flagrant 1 foul but was not removed from the game, while Harden was sent off for a flagrant 2 foul after striking Nets forward Royce O’Neale in the groin. Later on, Claxton was also kicked out for taunting.
Following their comeback victory over the Nets 102-97, the 76ers now lead the series 3-0.
After the game, NBA referee Tony Brothers told reporters that Harden was ejected due to “the point of contact directly to the groin,” but Embiid was not because his actions “didn’t rise to the level of excessive.” These are the two infractions:
After Claxton steps over him and stares him down, Embiid kicks him. 😳tweet.com/ZWlu0CBsYH
April 20, 2023, Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports)
For this “excessive and unnecessary” flagrant 2 foul, James Harden was ejected 😦pic.twitter.com/TCYEV4p9ST.
April 21, 2023, Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie)
Later, Harden declared that his removal was “unacceptable,” claiming that he “didn’t put him in a private area.”
“People don’t call me a dirty player,” Harden declared. It’s normal for a basketball player to cover you defensively when someone does that. He didn’t fall that way because I didn’t hit him hard enough. It’s not acceptable for a flagrant 2, though. It’s a post-season match. Things are far worse than what that play was, as we have seen throughout the league. To be honest, I didn’t see it as a personal slight. However, that is not acceptable. It is not possible.”
James Harden and Joel Embiid of the 76ers have a 3-0 series lead over the Nets. Ellen Cruz from USA TODAY Sports
James Harden and Joel Embiid of the 76ers have a 3-0 series lead over the Nets. Ellen Cruz from USA TODAY Sports
Days after Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended by the league for one game for stomping Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series, the league decided not to take any further action against either player.
After he held Green’s leg during a missed shot, Sabonis was given a technical foul, and Green was promptly removed from the game for his actions, which included yelling at the referees. Green should have been suspended, the league subsequently stated, due to his “history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
