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An NBA spokesperson confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday that neither Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid nor guard James Harden will be suspended or fined for fouls committed during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
Harden was ejected during the third quarter of the game when he hit Nets forward Royce O’Neale in the groin while attempting to drive to the hoop:
While Embiid was not ejected, he was called for a flagrant-1 foul for kicking Nets center Nic Claxton during the first quarter:
The Sixers went on to win the game 102-97, giving them a 3-0 series lead over Brooklyn.
There was some uncertainty coming out of Thursday’s game regarding how the league would handle Embiid and Harden on the heels of some well-publicized controversy in the Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings series.
In Game 2 of that series, Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected for stepping on Kings forward Domantas Sabonis after Sabonis grabbed Green’s ankle.
Additionally, the NBA suspended Green for the Warriors’ Game 3 win due to his history as a “repeat offender.”
Even with Harden getting tossed from Thursday’s Game 3, Philadelphia bounced back to win, giving it a firm hold on the first-round series.
Just as they were during the regular season, both Embiid and Harden have been highly productive during the playoffs, and they are huge reasons for the 3-0 lead.
Embiid is averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 blocks per game, while Harden is putting up 17.3 points, 8.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest.
