The Philadelphia 76ers notched a much-needed win on Monday night, as they handily defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 145-123, to tie the series at one game apiece. However, despite the lopsided score, the game did not go without incident.
Nets rookie Rodions Kurucs was hit with a Flagrant 1 in the second quarter of the contest after appearing to hit Sixers star Ben Simmons with an elbow to the face. After the game, Kurucs admitted he may have intentionally elbowed Simmons just to send a message:
Rodions Kurucs was insulted Ben Simmons referred to him as "the other kid" in a media interview. Tonight, Kurucs picked up a technical foul for hitting Simmons while going for a rebound: " I want to let him know my name. I’ll play hard, I’ll go at him and I’m not scared of him."
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) April 16, 2019
That message was sent loud and clear, but honestly, we're not sure if we should be praising Kurucs here for the intensity he brought to the game. Sure, Simmons may have insulted him, but to retaliate with an intentional elbow to the face is definitely not something that would serve as a good example for the younger generation.
Perhaps the more mature thing to have done was to let his game do the talking. We are all for the unrivaled competitiveness brought about by the playoffs, but we should draw the line somewhere, right?
Much like the rest of his team, Kurucs was pretty quiet in this one, scoring only nine points on 3-of-7 shooting. He went 0-for-2 from distance, but was able to log five rebounds and an assist.
In his statement here, Kurucs blatantly admitted he had intent to hit Simmons with an elbow, so it would not be surprising if the league takes some action about his antics.
Follow Us
Subscribe