Game 3 of the first-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets was a wild one, to say the least. It featured flagrant fouls and ejections, including that of Nets big man Nic Claxton after he was called for a second technical foul in the fourth quarter.
Nic Claxton was sent to the showers before the game finished when he drew a technical foul for taunting Sixers center Joel Embiid after a dunk that extended Brookly's lead to six points with a little under nine minutes remaining in the final quarter. After the game, Claxton said after the game that he knew better than to make such a mistake, especially in a crucial contest in which his team was practically fighting for its playoff life, per Erik Slater.
“When I watched it, it was a little excessive. I got to keep my emotions in check. I know my team needs me out there. So that's part of my growth. Just keeping my emotions like that when I'm playing well and my emotions are really high. I got to look myself in the mirror and just be smarter in those situations.”
Nic Claxton finished the game with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor to go with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 28 minutes. His plus/minus of plus-13 was the best among Nets players. After Claxton's ejection, the Sixers outscored the Nets, 21-10, with Brooklyn shooting just 23.1 percent from the floor and just 1-for-6 from behind the arc the rest of the way.