It did not take very long for the first flagrant-2 foul of the NBA season.
Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton was ejected from Wednesday’s season opener for an ugly flagrant foul on Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. In the fourth quarter of the contest, Daniels got a breakaway opportunity in transition, which led to Claxton clubbing him in the head and neck area (essentially clotheslining him) to prevent the layup.
Daniels immediately popped up to confront Claxton for the hard foul before the two were separated. Here is the video.
Nets-Hawks get chippy after hard flagrant 2 call
Nic Claxton was ejected pic.twitter.com/TYUhH5DjSP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2024
Upon replay review, Claxton was assessed with a flagrant-2 foul, triggering an automatic ejection from the game. He finished the night with seven points and five rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
The 25-year-old Claxton looks like a cornerstone piece for the rebuilding Nets with his defensive skill (2.3 blocks per game over the last two seasons) and his high-leaping ability. But Claxton may still have some maturing to do as he was also notably ejected from a playoff game a couple seasons ago.
