It didn’t take long for things to get chippy Tuesday night when the 2022–23 NBA season tipped off and two Eastern Conference powerhouses battled it out.
In their first game of the season, Celtics guard Marcus Smart and 76ers center Joel Embiid got into each other’s faces after getting tangled up on a play and Smart did not mince words when talking about it postgame.
“I could’ve cracked his head open, but I didn’t,” Smart said. “That’s the maturity we had.”
The play he is referring to came in the third quarter when Embiid and Smart went for a rebound but Smart’s arm was caught in Embiid’s arm after the Philadelphia star secured the board.
While tangled up, it appeared that Embiid stepped back and knocked Smart down. Embiid slipped on the floor after the move and Smart showed his frustration by getting in his face. The two had to be separated and Jaylen Brown got in the mix as well.
“My arm’s still stuck in there and he tries to break it,” Smart told reporters.
Smart was dealt a technical foul for the incident, but the Celtics would go on to win the game 127–117.
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