The Brooklyn Nets’ Jared Dudley did not like the way that the Philadelphia 76ers’Joel Embiid has been delivering fouls. The Sixers’ Jimmy Butler did not like the way that Dudley tried to show it. On Saturday, they both ended up getting ejected after their reactions led to a scuffle.
Butler and Dudley were thrown out in the third quarter of the Sixers’ 112-108 victory over the Nets after pushing and shoving that spilled into the stands.
Dudley reacted to Embiid’s hard foul on Jarrett Allen, bumping the Sixers’ All-Star center. Butler then shoved Dudley from behind to start the scrum.
Photo: AP
“I don’t be paying attention to him too much,” Butler said. “I just don’t think you should run up on anybody like that.”
“Especially because the foul was all ball,” Embiid added.
That is not the way the referees saw it.
Dudley and the Nets had already been angered by Embiid, who elbowed Allen in Game 2. They were further upset when he laughed afterward, while apologizing during his post-game news conference.
Simmons and Dudley — who had exchanged words earlier — along with Malloy all went tumbling into the front row as referees rushed in to intervene.
Dudley and Butler were both given technical fouls — with Embiid saying that he planned to pay Butler’s fine.
Mike Scott hit a three-pointer with 18.6 seconds remaining to give the Sixers the win.
Embiid led the Sixers with 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six blocked shots, while Tobias Harris added 24 points and Simmons racked up 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Caris LeVert led the Nets with 25 points, while Allen and D’Angelo Russell had 21 apiece.
The Nets were without Ed Davis, who had a sprained ankle.
Rockets 104, Jazz 101
James Harden had 22 points, 10 assists and six steals to rally the Houston Rockets to victory over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City for a 3-0 series lead.
Harden went 0-of-14 from the field through the first three quarters. He missed 15 straight shots overall before scoring on a dunk with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter. Harden finished 3-of-20 from the field, but sank 14 of 16 attempts at the free-throw line.
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points to lead the Jazz. Derrick Favors added 13 points, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots.
However, Utah could not overcome 14 turnovers and 13 missed free throws.
Nuggets 117, Spurs 103
Nikola Jokic racked up 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added eight assists as the visiting Denver Nuggets rolled over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 to even the Western Conference first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for tomorrow in Denver, with the second-seeded Nuggets’ win on Saturday allowing them to reclaim the home-court advantage.
The victory snapped a 14-game losing streak for the Nuggets in the Alamo City, dating back to March 2012.
Jamal Murray added 24 points for Denver. Small forward Torrey Craig, inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 28, put up 18 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and nine rebounds, with DeMar DeRozan adding 19 points before being ejected late in the game.
Bucks 119, Pistons 103
Khris Middleton recorded 20 points and nine rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat hosts the Detroit Pistons to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Brook Lopez recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks for the top-seeded Bucks, while Eric Bledsoe also scored 19 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double in the series.
The Pistons’ Blake Griffin had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists in his first appearance in the series due to a left knee injury. Griffin played with his knee and leg heavily wrapped.
The Pistons have lost 13 straight playoff games dating back to 2008 to match the dubious NBA mark set by the New York Knicks from 2001 to 2012.
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