Joel Embiid discusses scuffles with Nic Claxton after Sixers beat Nets
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NEW YORK–Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night got off to a rip-roaring start when Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton got into it within the first two minutes of the game.
Claxton threw down a lob while being fouled by Embiid and while Claxton was stepping over Embiid, the MVP candidate then kicked Claxton in the midsection. Considering what has been going on around the league, i.e., Draymond Green, one could assume that Embiid was likely to be ejected.
Instead, Embiid was assessed only a flagrant-1 foul and he was able to stay in the game. He then helped the Sixers knock off the Nets 102-97 in Game 3 and take a 3-0 stranglehold in this series.
“I don’t know,” Embiid said tongue in cheek of the play. “I don’t remember. Like I said, we’re up 3-0, we move on, it takes me a lot to process a game after that type of fight. So I gotta go watch the tape, see what we can do better or what I can do better. I’m just happy to get the win.”
When asked if it was because Claxton tried stepping over him, Embiid doubled down on not remembering.
“I honestly don’t remember the play,” he said with a smile.
When asked if he remembers Claxton being ejected after he picked up his second technical foul in the fourth quarter.
“Um, yes,” he said with a laugh.
Embiid then went on to discuss how the Nets were trying to get under his skin and bother him throughout the night. Brooklyn was trying to muck up the game and try to get te big fella ejected.
“The whole game,” he said. “You can see what they were doing. Just trying to get a rise out of me. I’m too valuable. Especially after the first one, I just understood I’m too valuable to get into this type of—that’s the second time hitting me in the back. That’s not reviewed. My back, my knee, they’re hitting me every single time which is fine.”
Embiid appeared to be limping in this one as it did appear that the Nets were getting under his skin and bothering him, but the Sixers did come away with the win. That is what they’re focused on.
“It’s working for them, but I just got to keep going,” Embiid finished. “You could see what the game plan was. You gotta hit them. Make me frustrated so I could get ejected. I’m too mature to put myself in a position where I’m gonna get ejected so I just want about my business and we got the win.”
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