


The Nets aren’t going to be happy with this decision.
The NBA ruled on Friday that there would be no further action against Joel Embiid and James Harden after the 76ers’ two stars were involved in controversial plays during Philadelphia’s Game 3 win the night before.
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Embiid stayed in Thursday’s win despite kicking Nic Claxton below the belt after being knocked to the ground when they got tangled early in Game 3 on Thursday night.
“I don’t really get it,’’ Cam Johnson said following practice in Brooklyn on Friday of Embiid being allowed to stay in the game, in what turned out to be a third straight Nets loss to start the series, bringing them to the brink of elimination.
Embiid was assessed with a Flagrant 1 foul, not a Flagrant 2 and he finished the game.
The NBA reviews all Flagrant 1 fouls, but decided no further action was necessary.
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“I thought precedent was set just a day or two ago,’’ Johnson said, referring to Golden State’s Draymond Green being tossed and suspended for the following game for stomping on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis’ chest.
“I don’t want to get into it because I don’t know what I can say and what I can’t say, but I thought that was a surefire one.”
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Embiid went on to make several plays to help tip the scales in Philadelphia’s favor, but the Nets did catch a break when James Harden was tossed for hitting Royce O’Neale in a similar sensitive area to where Embiid kicked Claxton.
Dorian Finney-Smith said Harden’s ejection was “a makeup call a little bit.”
“I don’t think James’ [foul] was as serious as Joel’s,’’ Finney-Smith said. “It’s not my decision to make.”
And Finney-Smith followed up with a sentiment that didn’t seem to be shared by too many of his teammates.
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“I hope [Embiid] plays,’’ Finney-Smith said. “You always want to play against a team at full-strength. It’s not something we’re worried about. If he plays, he plays. If he [doesn’t], he [doesn’t].”
Johnson called Embiid’s play against Claxton “excessive and unnatural and not basketball-like. I thought it hit all those, but I guess they saw it differently.”
He also said the Nets aren’t looking for any help in trying to win Game 4.
“We’re not gonna rely on somebody getting kicked out of a game,” Johnson said. “That’s not how we want things to go. We’re gonna play against whoever they put out there. We’re not gonna ask for anything extra. That’s not our call and not our concern.”
Head coach Jacque Vaughn, while “looking forward to hearing the league’s response,” chose to focus Friday on what the Nets needed to do to extend their season on Saturday.
“I know my stance [on the Embiid play] hasn’t changed,’’ Vaughn said. “It’s the same as [Thursday]. I am looking forward to hearing the league’s response. I’ll wait to hear that. [Thursday] night, I focused on watching the film and getting [the team] ready to get a win on Saturday.”
Asked about the difference between the decision to keep Embiid in the game compared to the ejection of Harden, Vaughn said, “I’m interested to hear the explanation of both. I’ll be tuned in and waiting for my email to fill up.”