Joel Embiid and the Sixers are the peoples’ champs

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

BOOP: The Wizards and Celtics don’t like each other very much. After Isaiah Thomas led the C’s to victory on Wednesday, John Wall had some words for Jae Crowder. Crowder likewise had a few words for Wall. Things escalated when Crowder stuck his finger in Wall’s face, actually touching his nose. Wall retaliated with a smack to Crowder’s cheek. All the other Wizards and Celtics in the area get involved and it was a wee bit scuffle-y for a second.

Who crossed the line? Trash talk is an accepted part of the game. There are boundaries that can be crossed (Kevin Garnett destroyed norms on this tip for a period) but generally verbal battles should stay verbal. Unless Wall said something completely inappropriate, Crowder is responsible for escalation by booping Wall on the nose. Wall could have and should have walked away at that point, but once he was entered in the Masculinity Olympics the physical retaliation was rather inevitable.

The good thing is that no one in the NBA actually wants to fight, so after a boop and a smack we’re pretty much done. We’re still brawl-free for the last decade. These dudes are getting fined, but they stopped short of “black mark for the league” territory that’d cost them games. This may be David Stern’s greatest achievement.

SCORES GALORE ...

Knicks 97, Sixers 98
Grizzlies 95, Thunder 103
Rockets 105, Wolves 119
Wizards 108, Celtics 117
Magic 96, Clippers 105
Cavaliers 86, Blazers 102

PROCESSING: Your Philadelphia 76ers beat the imploding Knicks despite trailing by 10 with two minutes left. T.J. McConnell hit the game-winner and had a boisterous celebration. Joel Embiid gave us the picture of the season. And then he danced with Philly’s cheerleaders to celebrate some more. All hail the Sixers!

SILVER TONGUE: Adam Silver had some very interesting comments on Brexit as the league is in London for a Thursday game. He noted that the NBA will reconsider its work in the United Kingdom not just due to the logistics of Brexit, but because of the symbolism of the decision: “[W]e pay a lot of attention to things that potentially impact borders and, I think as a sport, we are also very focused on principles and values. That includes inclusion and diversity and respect for others.” This stance, however, might require the NBA to relocate some teams within the United States ...

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN: Flanns and Gonz discuss the Derrick Rose saga and more on Drive & Kick. On Wednesday, Rose reiterated that he’d like to sign a five-year, $150 million max contract this summer.

ALRIGHT? Rajon Rondo claims the reasons behind his five-game benching were “bulls—t.” Veteran leadership, y’all.

DON’T STOP THE BOOGIE: I wrote about DeMarcus Cousins’ apparent decision to sign a megadeal with the Kings this summer and how Sacramento can thank the new CBA for making it possible to keep their best player.

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ... Allen Iverson is going to coach and play in Ice Cube’s new 3-on-3 oldtimers’ league. I’m in.

NEXT UP: Day basketball! The Pacers and Nuggets are in London and will be on NBA TV at 3 p.m. ET. TNT has your usual evening doubleheader, too: Bulls-Knicks at 8 p.m. ET and Pistons-Warriors at 10:30.

AND FINALLY: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reviews two books on Muslim identity in the New York Times.

Be excellent to each other.