PHILADELPHIA — Kelly Oubre Jr. initially said he didn’t want to get involved in any “back and forth nonsense” with the Knicks, but decided to do so ahead of Sunday’s Game 4.
Oubre said Saturday that Joel Embiid’s flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter of Game 3, when he grabbed Robinson’s lower leg off the ground during a dunk attempt, was a “dirty” play. He said he disagreed with the Knicks’ accusations.
He also basically said, “Don’t cry” about it.
“I’ve seen things like that happen before, and I’ve been on the other side of it, so I don’t think it’s dirty after all, dude. Joel calls himself We have to protect it,” Oubre said, also referring to the Knicks’ complaints. “I’m not going to comment on what they’re commenting on. … They try to hit, and then we hit back, and then they cry, and vice versa, or whatever happens.
“Let’s just hoop, let’s go out and play hard. Nobody. [is going to] Fight. This isn’t WWE. So at the end of the day, let’s take your input and see how they react tomorrow. ”
It was the Sixers who filed the complaint after Game 2 in New York, and the league subsequently ruled that referees called for multiple fouls on Tyrese Maxey and Nick Nick in the face of Donte DiVincenzo’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.0 seconds left. Nurse admitted he missed an attempted timeout.
After Thursday’s game, DiVincenzo labeled Embiid’s foul on Robinson “dirty” and coach Isaiah Hartenstein said it was “not a basketball play.”
Manager Tom Thibodeau also called out the referees after the Sixers held a 33-19 advantage in free throw attempts, including Embiid’s 50 points on 19-of-21 shooting from the line.
“Listen, I think it’s a physical series, right?” the nurse said on Saturday. “This is a big series historically, from the fan base to the players to the city to everything. I think there’s been all kinds of physical play either way. I think it’s going to continue to be that. I think it’s playoff basketball and I think that’s what it is.”
The 6-foot-7 Oubre was one of the keys to the Sixers’ defense against Jalen Brunson in the first two games, until the All-Star guard scored 39 points in Game 3.
Oubre added that he expects the Knicks to “impose their will” in Game 4 after the Sixers got physical in their first win of the series.
“Absolutely. They’ve been physical every game,” Oubre said. “We were physical the last time we played, too. So now we’re being too physical. … They beat us in New York. We went home and they beat us. It makes sense to do what you did and just compete.
“I think all the nonsense back and forth is just people trying to figure out the story. But at the end of the day, we’re two teams that are physical and play hard and play tenacious. 1 p.m. Sometimes I don’t expect anything more [Sunday]”
