BOSTON — Well, it didn’t take long for emotions to run hot between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on Opening Night.
Just 19 seconds into the second half, Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid got tangled up when the 76ers star grabbed a rebound, leading to a bit of a ruckus on the court which also involved Jaylen Brown.
As Embiid grabbed a defensive rebound, he leaned back and put his 7-foot, 280-pound frame on Smart, causing the pesky guard to fall to the parquet. Smart was called for a personal foul and as Embiid tried to regain his balance, he stepped over Smart. Smart then grabbed at Embiid’s leg, which is where things really started to get heated.
Embiid flopped to the floor after the grab by Smart and the 76ers’ big man was then met by Brown, who exchanged words with Embiid. You can watch everything unfold courtesy of video from NBC Sports Boston.
The play went to video review and the officials upheld the call of a personal foul on Smart along with a technical foul on him as well.
With the two teams battling back and forth along with the Celtics being physical with Embiid all game, it wouldn’t be a surprise if more skirmishes occurred later in the second half.
