Isaiah Thomas carried the Boston Celtics to victory in Game 3, and he’ll have the chance to do the same thing in Game 4.
The NBA announced Saturday it has given Thomas a flagrant-1 foul for hitting Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schröder in the head during Friday night’s first-round playoff game but will not suspend him for Game 4 on Sunday.
The incident between Thomas and Schröder occurred in the first quarter of Game 3 at TD Garden, when Thomas struck Schröder in the head as he was running down the court.
Thomas, who scored a career-high 42 points in Boston’s 111-103 win, insisted his hit on Schröder was unintentional. The 5-foot-9 guard wasn’t called for a foul on the play, and Schröder claimed one of the referees apologized to him for missing the call.
Thomas and Schröder both were called for technical fouls on the ensuing play after Schröder knocked Thomas to the floor while setting a screen and Thomas took offense.
The Celtics didn’t leave Game 3 completely unscathed, however. The league announced it has fined Marcus Smart $5,000 for the Celtics guard’s ridiculous flop in the fourth quarter that drew a foul on Hawks guard Kyle Korver.
Atlanta leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven first round playoff series, with Game 4 set for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET in Boston.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
