In a 112-89 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond was ejected for elbowing the back of Roy Hibbert’s head.
The incident took place in the second quarter and was reviewed by the officials, who ultimately decided to punish Drummond for the unnecessary contact. The 23-year-old sarcastically applauded as he left the floor.
When reflecting on the decision, Drummond seemed to respect the referee’s decision, as per Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press:
“Look man, I don't make the rules,” Drummond said. “I just play the game. They felt like I did something maliciously. Everybody who knows me, knows that the way I play, that's not the type of player that I am, but at the end of the day, it wasn't my call. I just took the consequences and walked off the floor.”
Jon Leuer replaced Andre Drummond for Detroit, starting the second half and eventually helping the team get the win.
The big man feels as though the play doesn’t represent who he is as a player and also suggested that Hibbert may have influenced the officials by acting:
“Anybody that knows me, knows I'm not a dirty player,” Drummond said. “It's part of the game. He got hit, he did whatever he had to do to get the call. Refs made the call and I was escorted off the floor. Other than that, we won the game and I'm satisfied with that.”
The Pistons will return to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on December 7.
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