The game on Thursday between the visiting L.A. Clippers and Dallas Mavericks was expected to be a hotly contested one as both teams have a lot to play for with the playoffs looming. The contest lived up to the hype, with an incident in the third quarter causing J.J. Barea to be ejected from the game.

With 5:29 left, the 32-year-old Puerto Rican international found himself in the middle of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, as they were trying to set a screen for Chris Paul. Barea did not appreciate the bumps he received from the two big men and shoved Griffin to the ground.

The fans inside American Airlines Center did not agree with the referees' decision as they called a flagrant 2 foul on the Mavs point guard. Although it's bizarre to see a 6-foot, 185-pounder push the 5-foot-10, 250-pound Griffin to the ground, the game officials still saw unnecessary and excessive contact, leading to their call.

The Mavericks took home a 97-95 win in the contest,their third victory in their last five outings. The Clippers on the other hand saw their three-game winning streak snapped.