Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was given a flagrant foul but not ejected early in Game 3 against Brooklyn on Thursday night after kicking his leg up toward Nets center Nic Claxton’s groin, though James Harden was later tossed for elbowing Brooklyn forward Royce O’Neale, also in the same area.
Claxton had just dunked and Embiid fell to the court after fouling him. Claxton then slowly stepped over Embiid, who kicked up his leg before players from both teams rushed in.
After a video review, Embiid was given a flagrant foul 1. The more severe flagrant 2 would have triggered an automatic ejection.
‘I thought he should have been ejected,’ said Barkley, a former 76ers forward, on national television. ‘I thought that was a flagrant 2.’
‘I think [Embiid’s flagrant foul] was worse than Draymond’s to be honest with you… He tried to kick him in his private parts.’
TNT’s NBA analyst Charles Barkley disagreed with the refs’ decision to only give Joel Embiid a flagrant 1 foul after the 76ers center kicked Brooklyn center Nic Claxton in the nuts after he got stepped over on a dunk
After his kick on Claxton, Embiid proceeded to get up and get in Claxton’s face before almost being ejected from Thursday night’s Game 3 of the first-round series Philadelphia-Brooklyn matchup
Nets fans booed the game’s officials after the decision, angry that Embiid – a two-time NBA scoring champion was not thrown out. Golden State’s Draymond Green was ejected from Game 2, then suspended for Game 3, of the Warriors’ first-round series against Sacramento after stepping on Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
Claxton was given a technical foul for stepping over Embiid.
In basketball, a step over is considered to be a non-verbal insult, or a diss, especially after a crossover or a poster dunk, plays that may leave the defender on the ground.
Eventually, one player who tossed from Thursday night’s game was James Harden, after ‘The Beard’ elbowed Nets small forward Royce O’Neale in the same area that Embiid kicked Claxton in.
The incident happened with less than 30 seconds to go in the third quarter, with Philadelphia trailing Brooklyn, 80-76.
A baffled Harden left Barclays Center with his eyes squinting, not understanding the flagrant foul 2 given to him by the game’s officials.
Then, in the fourth, Claxton was given his marching orders after flexing on Embiid over yet another poster dunk on the 76ers center with a little less than nine minutes to go.
Claxton went to the rim after a pass in the paint from Nets forward Cam Johnson and after showing his arm muscles to Embiid, the Philadelphia center made a T-sign with his hands on camera, asking referees to toss his nemesis.
