Brown hung up on 76ers cell bust: "Unacceptable"

PHILADELPHIA – Amir Johnson was surprised when he showed his cell phone on the bench of Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid late in Game 1's loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

Johnson was surprised by television cameras sitting on the bench and scrolling his phone towards the end of the fourth quarter. The Sixers lost 16 points in a possible 111-102 defeat. Johnson showed something to Embiid on the phone and then slipped it into his warm-up pocket.

"I just looked down because he said that his daughter was extremely sick and that he was watching her," said Embiid.

The NBA's operating manual prohibits the use of cell phones on the bench during games. The regulation, in the "Use of Technology" section, states that violations "will result in substantial fines and / or suspensions".

Johnson did not talk to reporters after the match.

"Completely unacceptable," said Brett Brown, coach of the Sixers, about Johnson's actions. "It's not something we're talking about."

Brown said that he would do business with Johnson, but he refused to deal with a specific discipline.

Johnson was inactive. Embiid, who was dubious early in the game, started with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN and the Associated Press contributed to this report.