The NBA Hit Ben Simmons With A Flagrant 1 And A $20,000 Fine For Elbowing Kyle Lowry’s Groin

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The Philadelphia 76ers made a statement in their Game 3 win against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, walking off the floor with a 116-95 victory to go up 2-1 in the series. Much of the analysis has been focused on the game itself, but on Friday afternoon, the NBA responded to an incident involving Ben Simmons and Kyle Lowry.

Simmons fell to the ground after trying to get his hand on a missed shot. Lowry was boxing him out and backed into him as he fell, so when Simmons hit the deck, Lowry stood over him. In response, Simmons lifted up his elbow and caught Lowry below the belt.

Lowry said after the game that Simmons apologized to him during halftime and that it “didn’t matter,” but the NBA reviewed the incident nonetheless. The league eventually ruled that this would not lead to a suspension, but Simmons was retroactively given a Flagrant 1. He also picked up a fine.

Judging intent in these sorts of things is always difficult and a perilous road to travel down, but it stands to reason that if the NBA thought this was intentional, Simmons would received a harsher punishment. However, Simmons managed to avoid a suspension, so he’ll take the floor on Sunday as the Sixers look to take a 3-1 series lead.

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