Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was ejected right as the second half started on Wednesday night, after he shoved Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid from behind.
As seen in the video embedded below, Embiid appeared to catch Smart with an elbow to the ribs before Smart's outburst. Embiid went sprawling onto the court but quickly popped up to confront Smart as players and officials intervened.
Embiid was hit with a technical for his role in the altercation, but Smart earned himself an early trip to the locker room.
"Obviously, I was frustrated, because it was a cheap shot," Embiid said afterward, per ESPN. "I didn't see it coming. It caught me off guard.
"But, I mean, I really don't want to talk about it. I don't care."
"Stuff like that, it gets me going, it gets the crowd going," Embiid said. "And everybody knows that I play better when the crowd is involved. So, that energy was definitely good for us."
The Sixers went on to win by the final of 118-115, marking their first win against the Celtics this season. Embiid was dominant throughout, as he lead all scorers with 37 points in addition to his 22 rebounds.
Philadelphia is currently slotted in the three-seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 47-25, while the Celtics (43-29) remain in fifth place.
