NEW YORK — Joel Embiid scored and rebounded Saturday. The only thing he didn’t do is lose his cool after his hard foul triggered a scuffle.

Embiid had 31 points and 16 rebounds, and passed to Mike Scott for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left as the 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 112-108 to take a 3-1 series lead.

Embiid also had a flagrant foul that led to a scuffle and two ejections during an eventful return to the lineup after missing Game 3 with a sore left knee.

“I know these guys are going to go at me because they want me to retaliate, so I’ve got to be mature when I’m on the court, and just stay cool and not react,” Embiid said.
“Today I could have reacted but I felt like my team needed me more than (the Nets) needed Jared Dudley, so I’ve just got to stay cool and mature, and do my job.”

Embiid scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter after the Nets led by seven. He helped the 76ers overcome the loss of Jimmy Butler, who was ejected in the third quarter after Embiid’s hard foul on Jarrett Allen.

Dudley had been agitating the 76ers with his defense and talking, but was gone midway through the third quarter as one of the central figures in the scuffle that spilled into the stands.

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Embiid swung his arm forcefully while fouling Allen, and Dudley quickly moved in and bumped Embiid. Butler then ran in and pushed Dudley to start the shoving. Dudley, Ben Simmons and referee Ed Malloy all got knocked into the seats, and after a lengthy video review, Butler and Dudley were given technical fouls and ejected. Embiid’s foul was ruled a flagrant 1.

Dudley said he was trying to send a message. The Nets have been upset over an elbow Embiid hit Allen with in Game 2 that they felt should have been an ejection, and were further angered when Embiid laughed as he apologized in his press conference.

“When you have a guy giving flagrant fouls, I mean Joel Embiid is second in the league in flagrant fouls,” Dudley said. “So for that elbow he had before just to have a flagrant 1, no fine, no nothing, laughing in the media, if you think that a team that I play on is going to have (to accept) that, that’s another thing coming, especially on this young team.”

NUGGETS 117, SPURS 103: Nikola Jokic had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Jamal Murray added 24 points and Denver won at San Antonio to tie the first-round series at two games apiece.

BUCKS 119, PISTONS 103: Khris Middleton had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Milwaukee won at Detroit to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.

The Bucks can finish off the Eastern Conference series Monday night in Detroit after winning the first three games by an average of 24 points.


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