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Jimmy Butler, Jared Dudley get ejected after skirmish breaks out in Sixers-Nets NBA playoff game; Joel Embiid calls Dudley ‘a nobody’

The Sixers' swingman was ejected after defending Joel Embiid when Dudley rushed the center for a hard foul.

Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets players engage in shoving match during he third-quarter in game four of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday, April 20, 2019 in Brooklyn.
Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets players engage in shoving match during he third-quarter in game four of the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday, April 20, 2019 in Brooklyn.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

NEW YORK -- 76ers swingman Jimmy Butler and Brooklyn Nets forward Jared Dudley received double-technical fouls and were ejected in Game 4 of their team’s opening-round playoff series Saturday at the Barclays Center.

The incident occurred with 7 minutes, 42 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Joel Embiid, playing defense, knocked Nets center Jarrett Allen to the court on a layup attempt. Allen fell down after Embiid forcefully swiped at the ball. Dudley took exception and bumped into Embiid from behind. That’s when Butler shoved Embiid in the back underneath the basket. As players rushed to the confrontation, Ben Simmons was knocked into Dudley, sending both players into the front-row seats on the baseline.

Dudley got up and had words for Embiid, and the two were separated. Embiid raised his arms above his head as if asking ‘What did I do?"

Embiid received a flagrant foul for his actions. It was Embiid’s second flagrant foul against Allen. He received one in Game 1 for elbowing Allen in the mouth. The Nets didn’t like that Embiid and Simmons laughed when Embiid addressed the Game 2 incident during Thursday’s post-game press conference. Embiid later apologized for laughing and said he didn’t mean any disrespect. He said the laughter wasn’t directed at Allen.

Earlier in the third quarter on Saturday, Embiid shoved Dudley out of the way. Dudley was celebrating a shot-clock violation on Embiid.

Dudley had eight points, five rebounds, one steal and one block when he was ejected. Butler left with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Sixers beat the Nets, 112-108, despite missing Butler down the stretch. After the game, Embiid, who finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks, called Dudley “a nobody” when asked in his postgame sideline interview.