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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment
Nick Selbe

NBA Twitter Was Fired Up About Draymond Green After Joel Embiid’s Flagrant Foul

Draymond Green Joel Embiid NBA NBA Twitter Nic Claxton Nets Domantas Sabonis

As if the first round of the NBA playoffs needed more kicks, 76ers center Joel Embiid decided to give it a try himself.

Early in the first quarter of Thursday’s Game 3 matchup between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Embiid fell to the floor while fouling Nets center Nick Claxton. After Claxton stepped over Embiid, the MVP frontrunner swiftly kicked Claxton between the legs, glancing him on the leg and leading to an even more heated confrontation.

Claxton was issued a technical foul, while Embiid was given a Flagrant 1. The play drew a striking resemblance to the one involving Warriors forward Draymond Green and Kings center Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of that series, when Green stomped on Sabonis’ chest during the fourth quarter. Green was ejected for his actions, and later suspended for Game 3, with the league citing his past history of altercations as a factor in the suspension.

Given the similarities between the two plays—and the vastly different consequences for the players involved—it didn’t take long for the fine folks at NBA Twitter to chime in and point out the disparity. 

Did the refs get it right this time around? Check out the best social media reactions below.

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