Things got out of hand early for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on the road against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday evening.
With Brooklyn up 6-4 and less than three minutes having passed in the first quarter, Nets center Nic Claxton stepped over Embiid after finishing a dunk. The NBA MVP favorite then responded by kicking Claxton. It was an ugly scene inside Barclays.
Head coach Doc Rivers and the 76ers had to be fearing that Joel Embiid would receive a Flagrant 2 and be ejected from the game.
After further review, crew chief Tony Brothers and Co. opted for a Flagrant 1 on Embiid while Claxton received a technical for taunting his counterpart.
Given what we saw transpire between Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis in the Western Conference Playoffs earlier in the week, the decision to hand Embiid a mere Flagrant 1 will be talked about a lot. Green was ejected from Game 2 of his Golden State Warriors series against the Sacramento Kings for stomping on Sabonis. He was also suspended for Game 3 Thursday night.
As it stands, Joel Embiid remained in the game as he looks to help Philadelphia to a 3-0 series lead. Whether the NBA reviews this and hands him a suspension remains to be seen.