Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid added another chapter to their rivalry in Celtics' opening night win
BOSTON -- It did not take long for Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid to reignite their rivalry this season. The two got into a dust-up in the third quarter of Boston's opening night win at TD Garden, and they both had very different tales to tell after the game.
It all started just 19 seconds into the second half, after the two bruisers got tangled under the basket following a Jaylen Brown missed jumper. Embiid corralled the rebound, which Smart also went after. Smart's hand got caught between Embiid's right arm and his body, and Embiid knocked Smart down to the floor, causing an awkward fall for the C's guard.
Smart was obviously not happy and felt Embiid was trying to rip his arm out of its socket. He grabbed Embiid's foot as the Sixers big man walked away, causing him to hit the floor as well.
From there, Jaylen Brown confronted Embiid as he made his way to Smart, and another tough-guy chat ensued. Players from both sides intervened before any other funny business ensued, but Brown gave Embiid a nice finger wag as the two were separated.
Embiid and Smart had very different recollections of the incident after the game.
"Honestly, I don't know," Embiid said. "They had called a foul on him. I walked away and next thing I know, my foot is getting caught up and slipped. And next thing, Jaylen is on top of me. It's basketball. Emotions. The rivalry, Boston-Philly, a lot of intensity. So it's all good."
Smart was a little more dramatic.
"I went for a rebound -- basketball play. Went for the steal -- basketball play. Referee blows his whistle, calls a foul. I stop play. My arm's still stuck in there and he tries to break it. And then I'm the only one who gets a tech," said Smart. "Everybody saw it. I don't have to keep talking about it. If I did that, I'd probably be ejected, suspended three games, four games, fines. But the fact that I was the only one that got something out of that is kind of beyond me -- especially the defending DPOY. And that's how he gets treated?
"It's tough. But like I said, it's maturity. I could've cracked his head open, but I didn't, and that's the maturity we had," Smart continued. "We move on from it. It is what it is, and control what we can control."
Very mature indeed. But the Celtics did show some good restraint after Smart's ankle grab, with Brown racing over to defend his teammate. Brown said that at that point, he and the Celtics were sick of Embiid taking liberties any chance he had.
"I've seen the play and I thought the duration of the game, Embiid was getting away with a lot of unnecessary pushing and shoving," said Brown. "Just being a big guy, that's what he does. But he was throwing his weight around a little bit. I had said something before that moment, but they kind of let it go, brushed it off.
"In that play, it seemed like he was trying to hurt Smart in a sense. Instincts just came right over," said Brown. "It ended up being nothing, ended up being a play on. Nobody got hurt. We just ended up finishing the game, playing some good basketball. But we've got each other's backs out there and we're not taking no mess this year."
In the end, it was a whole lot of nothing, as these exchanges tend to be in the NBA. Smart was assessed with a foul and then a technical for grabbing Embiid's foot. James Harden hit the free throw for Philly, and then Embiid hit a jumper on the ensuing possession to put the Sixers on top 66-63.
The Celtics then responded in a big way. They ripped off a 9-2 run right after the fracas and owned a 98-88 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Boston dominated the second half and won fairly easily, 126-117, with both Brown and Jayson Tatum scoring 35 points. Smart chipped in with 14 points and seven assists for Boston. Embiid got his, putting in 26 points to go with 14 rebounds.
Smart and Embiid are no strangers -- or friends -- so it's no surprise they had yet another run-in with each other. Tuesday night's quarrel is just another chapter to their long-running feud.
