NBA will NOT ban Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden for cheap shots to Nets players groins

Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden appear to have avoided suspensions and will be available for Game 4 of their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets after each receiving flagrant fouls in Thursday’s Game 3 win.

Embiid was whistled for a flagrant 1 but was able to remain in the game after kicking Nets center Nic Claxton in the groin, while Harden was given a flagrant 2, resulting in an ejection, for delivering a forearm to Royce O’Neale’s midsection.

Now an NBA spokesperson has confirmed to DailyMail.com that the league will not be taking further action against Harden or Embiid. 

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the league decision. 

The league recently suspended Warriors forward Draymond Green for Game 3 of Golden State’s first-round series with the Kings after he stomped on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in Game 2. 

Joel Embiid is seen kicking Nic Claxton’s groin as the Nets center stepped over him Thursday

Harden was given a flagrant 2, resulting in an ejection, for his forearm to O’Neale’s midsection

Harden made direct contact when he swung at a Nets player’s groin, while Embiid’s kick to a different player landed in a safer spot.

And that’s why Harden was thrown out and Embiid dodged an ejection Thursday night in Philadelphia’s 102-97 victory in Game 3.

Harden was dribbling while defended closely by O’Neale when he swung out his arm and hit O’Neale, who fell to the court in pain. Referees reviewed the play and called Harden for a flagrant foul 2, an automatic ejection, after seeing evidence of where he had hit O’Neale.

‘Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection,’ crew chief Tony Brothers said.

Two quarters earlier, the 76ers were perhaps lucky the same penalty wasn’t given to Embiid.

He kicked his leg up toward Claxton’s groin, a play that looked worse than Harden’s but was given a lesser flagrant 1.

Claxton had just dunked and Embiid fell to the court after fouling him. Claxton then slowly stepped over Embiid, who kicked up his leg into Claxton’s upper leg area before players from both teams rushed in.

After a video review, Embiid was given a flagrant foul 1.

Following the 76ers’ win, Embiid joked at first that he couldn’t remember the play in question

Harden was ejected on Thursday after making direct contact with O’Neale’s groin 

Embiid joked at first that he couldn’t remember the play, but then said after it happened he knew he couldn’t get mixed up in any more altercations.

‘The whole game you could see what they were doing, just trying to get a rise out of me,’ Embiid said. ‘I’m too valuable, especially after the first one.

‘I just understood I’m too valuable to get into this stuff.’

Nets fans booed after the decision, angry that the two-time scoring champion was not thrown out. Golden State’s Draymond Green was ejected from Game 2, then suspended for Game 3, of the Warriors’ series against Sacramento after stepping on Kings center Domantas Sabonis.

‘The contact was deemed unnecessary and based on the point of contact to the leg, it didn’t rise to the level of excessive,’ Brothers said.

Nets coach Jacque Vaugh couldn’t believe Embiid wasn’t ejected.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in my career before, for a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards, and for him to continue to play,’ Vaughn said. ‘I’ve never seen that before. In a game and a guy continues to be able to play. Intentional.’

Claxton was given a technical foul for stepping over Embiid and ended up getting ejected when he picked up a second tech in the fourth quarter.

The decision against suspending Harden and Embiid comes after the league did just that with the Warriors’ Green, who missed Golden State’s win over Sacramento on Thursday night

The decision against suspending Harden and Embiid comes after the league did just that with the Warriors’ Green, who missed Golden State’s win over Sacramento on Thursday night. 

Green stepping on the chest of Sabonis was an action the league considered excessive, dangerous and worthy of suspension, NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars said Wednesday.

Dumars — whose job duties include being one of the NBA’s major decision-makers for player discipline matters — shed light on what went into the decision to suspend Green for a playoff game, and why Sabonis’ actions didn’t merit further sanctioning.

‘This was not some snap-of-the-finger decision to do this,’ Dumars said in an interview with The Associated Press. ‘There was much discussion, and back and forth, looking at the play itself over and over. And then ultimately we came to the decision that the act itself, and repeat offenses, actually did warrant a suspension.’

The incident with Sabonis and Green came midway through the fourth quarter of the Sacramento-Golden State game on Monday night. Sabonis grabbed at Green’s ankle and Green wound up stepping — some would describe it as stomping — on Sabonis’ chest.

Sabonis got a technical, Green was ejected, the Warriors lost to fall into a 2-0 series hole and then the NBA decided Green needed to sit out a full game as well. They now trail 2-1 after Thursday’s win in San Francisco. 

‘It wasn’t like it went completely unpunished,’ Dumars said of Sabonis’ role. ‘We didn’t think it rose to the level of Draymond’s play — excessive, over-the-top, dangerous, repeat offender. That’s the separation between what he did and what Draymond did.’

The Warriors, predictably, were not pleased with the NBA’s ruling.

‘In their defense, what do they care what I have to say? I mean, they know what I’m going to say,’ general manager Bob Myers said Wednesday, while Golden State gathered for practice. ‘They don’t need me to make the decision.

‘As far as how we felt, you know, we’ve been here before and we’ve got to play a game tomorrow night. Once these decisions are made, there’s no appellate court. It’s over. So you can react however you want to react, but it doesn’t change the fact he’s not playing and we’ve got a game tomorrow night.’

Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered a similar assessment as Myers, though noted that he was ‘extremely surprised’ that Green got suspended.

‘There’s no time to spend worrying about it or thinking about it or complaining about it. Doesn’t matter,’ Kerr said. ‘We know what the league decided to do and we have to respond accordingly and go out there and go win the game.’

Sabonis (10) lies on the ground after getting stepped on by Green on Monday night