Nets HC Jacque Vaughn SLAMS referees for not electing Joel Embiid after kick to Royce O’Neal’s private parts
Nets coach criticizes referees over Embiid's kick.
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Nets' Head Coach Jacque Vaughn (L) and Sixers' Joel Embiid (R)
The Brooklyn Nets’ night went from bad to worse on Thursday as they suffered a 102-97 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the ongoing playoff series. But what largely left the Nets fuming was a controversial incident involving Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton.
In the opening minutes of the game, Embiid kicked Claxton in the groin area after the Nets center dunked and stepped over him. Embiid received a flagrant one foul for the kick, and Claxton was penalized with a technical foul for taunting. Embiid was allowed to stay in the game, meanwhile, Claxton had to leave briefly to get checked by the medical staff.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was furious with the officials for not ejecting Embiid, who went on to dominate in the fourth quarter with his incredible block in the last seconds of the game, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the 76ers’ victory.
“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, I’ve never seen that before in a game,” said Vaughn in the post-game press conference.
Vaughn also questioned why Claxton was given a technical foul for simply staring down Embiid after his dunk. Claxton, who finished with 18 points and four rebounds in 28 minutes, admitted he was fine after the kick and tried to move on from it.
The Nets face an uphill battle against 76ers
The Brooklyn Nets now face an uphill battle as they trail 0-3 in their playoff series against the third-seed Philadelphia 76ers, who have left the Nets in the dust.
The leading scorer for the Nets was Mikal Bridges with 26 points, while Nic Claxton contributed 18 points on an efficient 88.9% shooting from the field. Spencer Dinwiddie added 20 points and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. The team struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 33.3% on 30 attempts. Despite a solid effort from individual players, the Nets fell short and find themselves trailing miserably in the series.
The 76ers lead the series 3-0 and strive to complete the sweep on Saturday night in Brooklyn. In an attempt to preserve the season, the Nets would want to avoid facing elimination and hope for a different outcome from the referees if Embiid plans to go physical again.
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Ankush Singh
(616 Articles Published)