Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis was controversially ejected in Game 1 of their eventual loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Like most, the Latvian didn't agree with the call but was nonetheless apologetic.
The officials slapped two technical fouls on Porzingis which led to his ejection with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter. The first technical was tagged after Porzingis protested a foul call in the second quarter. While the second one, which has since gained much criticism, was after a light scuffle with Clippers forward Marcus Morris.
After the game, Porzingis looked back on the incident and felt that he should've controlled his emotions better.
Porzingis on the techs. pic.twitter.com/6OvEi30mN1
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) August 18, 2020
Porzingis. “They provoked us. They provoked us. I should have been smarter.”
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) August 18, 2020
Porzingis played 20 minutes and had 14 points and six rebounds. His ejection was crucial as the Mavs were actually matching up toe-to-toe with the Clippers the entire game, even after Porzingis' ejection.
Note that the Mavs actually were down by as much as 16 points in the opening quarter. But with the help of Porzingis, the Mavs were able to mount an advantage by as much as 14 points.
Mavs fans all over the world slammed the referees for that second technical foul. Many believe that it did not warrant a technical at all since the scuffle didn't escalate further. Even LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers criticized the “bogus” call. Meanwhile, Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki tagged the ejection “super soft.”
Be as it may, it was an unfortunate incident, especially since it was Kristaps Porzingis' playoff debut. But the Mavs sure did prove that they can beat the powerhouse Clippers squad. Game 2 will be on Wednesday.
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