The Philadelphia 76ers rallied back to beat the Brooklyn Nets in a hard-fought Game 3.
The game was physical from the jump, with Joel Embiid kicking Nic Claxton in the groin after getting tangled up for a rebound, with some thinking he should’ve been ejected.
Embiid was called for a flagrant foul but managed to stay on the court, and it wasn’t until later in the game that the Sixers lost one of their key men.
The referees called James Harden for a Flagrant 2 foul after pushing Royce O’Neal as he attempted to drive to the lane, opening the door up for the Nets to get on top.
Following the win, Harden claimed that the referees missed that call, and he didn’t even commit a foul, let alone a Flagrant 2, adding that those things cannot happen at that level.
“I didn’t even think it was a foul on me.”
– James Harden on his flagrant 2
(Via @KyleNeubeck )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 21, 2023
Notably, Charles Barkley — and several fans — actually thought that Embiid’s kick called for an ejection, whereas Harden’s wasn’t even a foul.
Perhaps the refs tried to compensate after letting Embiid play through that infraction, or maybe they just made a mistake.
Whatever the case, it’s always unfortunate when people talk more about the officials than the actual game, and it was quite an entertaining basketball game.
The Nets showed a lot of fight even when Harden was on the floor, and they’ll now look to extend this series at least a little further, but the Sixers will be wise to shut this down to get some much-needed rest ahead of their next challenge.
NEXT:
Fans React To What Doc Rivers Said About Missed Foul Calls
