WATCH: Al Horford's Flagrant Foul On James Harden
James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers are in Massachusetts, taking on the Boston Celtics for the first game of the 2022-23 NBA regular season.
During the first quarter, a flagrant foul was called on Al Horford for a play he made on James Harden.
The play was not malicious, but Horford did not give Harden enough room to land.
He was given a flagrant foul 1, so he did not get ejected from the game.
When a shooter is in the air, the defender must be careful not to make the shooter trip when he lands.
So far, the 2018 MVP (Harden) has been sensational in the first half and has 19 points in just 16 minutes of playing time.
He's also shot 4/6 from the field and 2/3 from the three-point range.
The matchup features two teams that will likely be contenders to win the Eastern Conference in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Last season, the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals and have superstar Jayson Tatum to go with Marcus Smart (2022 Defensive Player of The Year) and Jaylen Brown (2021 All-Star).
The 76ers lost in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, but this will be their first full season with Harden.
He is the best teammate that Joel Embiid has ever had, so it will be intriguing to watch them play an entire year together.
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers after the matchup between these two teams.