Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone got his money’s worth before getting ejected from Thursday’s contest against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Malone was furious over what he believed to be a blatant missed foul call that benefitted the Clippers midway through the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Nuggets were trailing 87-79 at the 8-minute mark when Clippers center Ivica Zubac made a hard closeout on a Michael Porter Jr. three-point attempt. Zubac careened right into Porter’s landing space without a whistle being blown.
A heated Malone charged toward the referees at the next dead ball. The Nuggets coach appeared to mutter some colorful language directed at referee Aaron Smith.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone is ejected. Reggie Miller agrees with the coach's argument.
"That's a foul. I mean that's a clear-cut foul…The official, Aaron Smith, was right in front of the play. How could you NOT see that? I mean, that's been a point of emphasis." pic.twitter.com/srkE8qdkwE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 5, 2024
Malone was called for two technical fouls in quick succession and was subsequently tossed from the game.
Denver ended up losing 102-100 without their head coach on the sideline against a Clippers team playing without Kawhi Leonard.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic led all scorers with a monster triple-double of 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Paul George countered with 28 points on 10/21 shooting for LAC.
