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by Jason Wolf, USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA — Evan Turner was still feeling feisty a couple days after Philadelphia 76ers teammate Spencer Hawes was slapped in the back of the head by Carmelo Anthony in the third quarter of a 99-93 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Hawes turned around and bumped chests with Anthony, presumably said something unpleasant, and promptly received a two-handed shove from Knicks center Tyson Chandler as a fracas ensued.

“Spencer, he wouldn’t be any type of a man if he let another man slap him and another man push him,” Turner said Monday at the Sixers practice facility. “And you get a double technical? … And the person that did the slap gets an intentional? When I get mad, I’m going to slap somebody too.”

Anthony struck Hawes in the back of the head with his right hand after the two jostled for positioning, trying to secure a rebound off a missed jump shot by Nick Young with the Knicks leading 61-47 with 7½ minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Hawes and Chandler were then separated by officials and players from both teams.

“I don’t think the slap was warranted,” Turner said. “At the same time, that’s between two men. And the other dude’s just jumping in and just pushing for no reason.”

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young and Knicks guard Jason Kidd tried to subdue Chandler as Turner made a beeline for the Knicks center, only to be restrained by an official.

“The ref grabbed me, and I’m glad he did, because I would have got my second technical [of the game], you know what I’m saying?” Turner said. “I was going to try to chuck somebody into the stands, you know?”

Anthony, meanwhile, needed little persuasion to remain clear of the scuffle.

Anthony was initially called for a personal foul, which on review was upgraded to a flagrant 1, meaning his slap to the back of Hawes’ head was deemed unnecessary but not excessive. Had a flagrant 2 foul been levied, Anthony would have been ejected.

He reportedly will not receive a suspension from the league office.

“I didn’t mean to hit him in … [For more on Evan Turner still upset about Carmelo Anthony's hard foul, click here.]