BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard James Harden used to be ejected from the Game 3 win over the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night time after hitting Royce O’Neale below the belt as he used to be using to the basket. The officers gave Harden a flagrant 2 foul, which is an automated ejection, forcing the Sixers guard to go again to the locker room at the finish of the 3rd quarter.
The play took place when Harden used to be seeking to power previous O’Neale, and prolonged his arm out to create some house. However, in doing so Harden hit O’Neale in the groin space and the officers first known as a rate then after reviewing it gave him a flagrant 2.
Here’s how the play broke down:
Harden and the remainder of the Sixers had been shocked at the name, particularly after previous in the recreation Joel Embiid used to be handiest given a flagrant 1 for kicking Nic Claxton in the groin space as he used to be laying on the floor. It additionally does not assist that as much as that time in the recreation, Harden have been Philadelphia’s best participant, hanging up 21 issues on 8 of 15 from the box.
“Unacceptable flagrant 2,” Harden mentioned after the recreation. (*3*)
Referee Tony Brothers told a pool reporter after the recreation that Harden used to be ejected as a result of the “point of contact directly to the groin” used to be characterised as over the top.
Sixers trainer Doc Rivers did not believe the name, or the flagrant 1 on Embiid, however stated that it used to be out of his arms.
“I was surprised by James,” Rivers mentioned. “But listen, they looked at it, they made the call. You just have to live with it. The officials are trying to get it right, too. They have those three plus people in Secaucus. And they saw enough — I still, I haven’t really seen it, not that one. That was the one, maybe I shouldn’t have looked. That was the one I looked up at, and I didn’t think, you know, I didn’t think — I told Tony [Brothers], like, come on. I was surprised by it. But it is what it is. And clearly they saw enough. They have 1,000 angles that we don’t have and you just gotta live with it.”