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Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden was shocked when he was ejected from Game 3 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday after getting called for a flagrant foul on Royce O'Neale.
Harden was thrown out in the third quarter after accidentally hitting O'Neale in the groin. Officials reviewed the play, and the former MVP was assessed with a flagrant foul 2, which is an automatic ejection.
In an interview after the 76ers' 102-97 win over the Nets, Harden discussed the play that got him ejected. The 33-year-old was surprised that he was even called for a foul, as he fel it was just natural to push off the defender who was all over him.
"I didn't even think it was a foul on me," Harden said. "Somebody draped on me, natural reaction is just use your off-arm and get him off a little bit, and that was it. It wasn't no wind up, elbow, none of that. I didn't hit him in the private area, none of that. That can't happen; that can't happen."
It was a surprising call by referees, as it was not the first time someone had accidentally hit an opposing player in the groin in the last two weeks.
In the play-in game between the OKC Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans, Josh Richardson was called for a flagrant foul 1 for accidentally hitting Josh Giddey in the groin while setting a screen. It looked worse than what Harden hit Royce O'Neale with.
Here's the video of Richardson's foul on Giddey:
Here's the video of Harden's foul on O'Neale:
It's also worth noting that Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant foul 1 in the first quarter after kicking Nic Claxton. Embiid's kick looked worse than Harden's elbow, but the officials thought otherwise.
Here's the video of Embiid's kick on Claxton:
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Joel Embiid steps up in James Harden's absence, Sixers take commanding 3-0 lead over Nets
James Harden ended with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists before he was ejected in the third quarter. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey made sure that the Philadelphia 76ers got a commanding 3-0 lead despite Harden's absence in the fourth quarter.
Embiid only had 14 points and 10 rebounds but made the most crucial play of the game. He blocked Spencer Dinwiddie's layup with eight seconds left and the Brooklyn Nets down by two points.
Maxey, meanwhile, contributed 25 points, three rebounds and three assists. He scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Sixers have a chance to sweep the Nets on Saturday and move to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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