Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe wasn’t surprised when Nerlens Noel committed a hard foul on him on Friday night. According to the former Kentucky star, the Philadelphia 76ers warned him before the game that they were planning to “do something dirty.”
“They were telling me before if I came into the paint they were going to do something dirty,” Bledsoe said, via Alex Kraft of CSNPhilly.com. “I did it on purpose.”
Why would Noel and the Sixers be so adamant about roughing Bledsoe up? Earlier this week, Bledsoe said that he “definitely” believes Kentucky could beat the 2014-2016 Sixers.
Noel, who also went to Kentucky, wouldn’t admit that he took exception to Bledsoe’s comments.
“I just tried to protect the rim and I gave him a pat on the butt,” he said. “[Bledsoe] is my good friend. We rehabbed together down in Birmingham, Alabama so it was nothing personal.”
Bledsoe wasn’t convinced.
“You can tell if you look at the tape,” he said. “Like I said, they did it on purpose.”
For what it’s worth, the Suns beat the Sixers 122-96. Philadelphia is now 0-12 on the season. They could be one of the worst teams in NBA history.
