Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden was ejected against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the NBA playoffs after committing a foul on Royce O’Neale in the groin area. He received a flagrant 2 and was allegedly punished for what the official may have deemed intentional.
After Joel Embiid took a flagrant 1 for kicking Nic Claxton in the first half and minutes before Claxton himself was ejected for taking a second technical, Harden was surprisingly ejected from the action late in the third quarter. The 33-year-old visibly elbowed O’Neale near the top of the key, but such an event rarely results in an ejection.
James Harden has been ejected from Sixers-Nets Game 3 for his groin shot to Royce O’Neale 👀
Good ejection or bad ejection?pic.twitter.com/PdOV69VuZ6
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 21, 2023
However, the brazen nature of the act was obviously taken into account here. James Harden was having a productive night, having scored 21 points with 8 of 15 from the field, as well as 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Those kinds of offensive numbers will answer the pleas of fans who want to see the first Harden unleashed this postseason. Unfortunately, however, an untimely ejection could overshadow that.
In the end, the Sixers bounced back and won Game 3. Tyrese Maxey was once again instrumental with 25 points. Any hope for the plucky Nets is now all but dead.
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