Pacers coach says Kevin Durant should have been ejected for in-game outburst
The Indiana Pacers lost a close game to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle thinks the Nets benefited from some leniency.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant had an outburst in the third quarter of the team’s eventual 105-98 win over the Pacers. After getting fouled by Pacers guard TJ McConnell, Durant chucked the ball deep into the stands. He was given a technical foul but was not ejected.
Kevin Durant got a technical for this 😂 pic.twitter.com/MvvJLUggBb
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 30, 2021
Durant would log four points and five assists the rest of the way, which proved to be a crucial contribution in the single-digit Nets victory.
Afterwards, Carlisle said Durant should have been ejected for the outburst.
“I think I saw Kevin Durant wind up and throw the ball overhand, 10 or 15 rows into the stands and not get ejected,” said Carlisle, per The Athletic. “I think that’s what I saw. And so that was shocking.”
Carlisle added that the officials gave him an explanation for why Durant was not tossed but indicated that it was not particularly convincing.
“I’m not going to share the explanation because I don’t want to embarrass the officials,” he said. “I don’t want to embarrass the league. These guys are nice guys. They just made a big error. The league will address it … You don’t want to hear the explanation. And at this point, it doesn’t matter, because it’s not going to change the outcome. But it’s something that’s a significant thing that just can’t be missed, that’s all.”
Throwing the ball into the stands has historically been grounds for an ejection, especially in the middle of the game. Durant also fired it with enough zip to pose a safety hazard to fans who were sitting in the area.
We have seen players get ejected for even less, so you can probably expect Durant to get hit with at least a retroactive fine for Friday’s incident.
Photo: May 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
