"I've never seen that before"- Jacque Vaughn stunned to see Joel Embiid stay in game after groin kick in Game 3
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid was involved in a controversial play during the Sixers’ 102-97 Game 3 win over Brooklyn on Thursday night.
That came early in the first quarter when Embiid kicked Nets big man Nic Claxton in the groin after falling to the floor. Most would agree that this is usually the type of play that leads to players getting ejected.
However, Embiid was instead issued a Flagrant 1 foul and remained in the game. Following the game, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn spoke about how he has never seen a player continue to play after committing such an excessive foul:
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in my career before,” Vaughn said. “For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards and for him to continue to play. I've never seen that before in a game, and a guy continues to be able to play. Intentional.”
"For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards and for him to continue to play, I've never seen that before in a game."
Jacque Vaughn on Joel Embiid kicking Nic Claxton
https://t.co/9qn0nu7rdi
Joel Embiid just kicked Nic Claxton in the nuts, received a Flagrant 1 and stayed in the game.
This is two days after Draymond Green got ejected AND suspended for kicking a dude who was grabbing his foot.
https://t.co/jCGoCWWeym
To make matters more confusing for NBA fans, Sixers star guard James Harden was later ejected in the third quarter for a similar play. That came when Harden hit Nets wing Royce O’Neale in the groin.
However, Harden’s hit appeared to be less intentional than Embiid’s, leading to many questions about officiating inconsistencies.
Here's the video of the incident:
It’s laughable James Harden got ejected for this. These knucklehead refs should be ejected instead. https://t.co/EkA7HKqGGm
Joel Embiid says he can’t remember Flagrant 1 foul on Nic Claxton
Joel Embiid didn’t do much to alleviate Brooklyn Nets fans’ frustrations with officiating following Game 3. Instead, the star big man said that he didn’t remember his Flagrant 1 foul on Nic Claxton at all:
“I don’t know, I don’t remember,” Embiid said with a smile.
Embiid then quickly changed the subject to the Sixers securing the win to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series with Brooklyn:
“Like I said, we’re up 3-0, we move on,” Embiid said. “It takes me a lot to process a game after that type of fight. So I gotta go watch the tape and see what we can do better, what I can do better. And I’m just happy we got the win.”
Joel Embiid claims he “doesn’t remember” the play with Nic Claxton early or whether he should have been ejected. Said it takes a while to process a game.
After this video ended, he was asked if he remembers Nic Claxton getting ejected. “Yes” https://t.co/rwr1GqHY2g
Game 4 between the Sixers and Nets takes place on Saturday in Brooklyn. Philly will have a chance to sweep Brooklyn 4-0. However, it remains to be seen whether Joel Embiid or James Harden face any suspensions before then.
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