Marcus Smart furious with referees after Embiid goes unpunished in scuffle
Marcus Smart had some words to say about Joel Embiid after their game against each other. The two stars got into a scuffle. Thankfully, it didn't escalate into a disaster. Here are all the details about how the issue came about.
What happened with Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid?
Marcus Smart and Embiid fought for the rebound after a shot attempt from Jayson Tatum early in the third quarter. The ball ended up in the big man's hands; however, Smart found his arms wrapped around Embiid's. As the Sixers star tried to shake him loose, he hurt Smart in the process.
According to Adam Himmelsbach, Marcus Smart wasn't pleased with how the referees treated him. He explained that Joel Embiid clearly attempted to break his arms while he was being shaken off. Smart was furious and wanted to hurt the big man, but decided to act mature about things and left Embiid alone instead.
Smart on Embiid dust-up. Said he doesn’t think he was shown respect by refs as DPOY. Said Embiid tried to break his arm. Said his reaction showed maturity. “I could’ve cracked his head open, but I didn’t.”
“I could’ve cracked his head open, but I didn’t," Smart said.
Jaylen Brown came to his teammate's rescue and gave Embiid a piece of his mind as well. It looked like the Boston crowd was about to witness a fight, but officials and other players were quick to defuse the situation. It's only the beginning of the season and already things are getting this intense. Luckily, for both teams, neither Smart nor Embiid got hurt. It would've been a game changer for them if they did.
Boston Celtics defeats Philadephia 76ers in NBA Opening Night
It was an interesting Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. We finally got to see more of the James Harden and Joel Embiid duo. Harden put on a show in the first quarter of the game. He immediately scored 16 points and sank two three-pointers in three attempts. Harden let the Boston crowd know that the Sixers are aiming for the top spot in the East.
It seemed like the Sixers were going to maintain their lead in the second quarter. Joel Embiid knocked down mid-range jumpers while James Harden remained unstoppable from deep. Thankfully for the Celtics, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally woke up to tie the game before the first half ended. Brown scored 14 points while Tatum put up eight points in the second quarter.
At the start of the third quarter, Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid found themselves in a heated moment after Embiid hurt Smart's arm. It was in this quarter when Philly's downfall began. The Sixers kept making turnovers that translated into the Celtics scoring. Jayson Tatum found himself in the zone, grabbing important rebounds and finishing on the other end. All the momentum was on Boston's side.
In the end, the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown put in spectacular performances, both scoring 35 points each. Despite taking the loss, the duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid was on display as well. Harden finished the game with 35 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Meanwhile, Embiid had 26 points and 15 rebounds.