The game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday got heated early as Jerami Grant and Yves Missi got into a scuffle in the second quarter at Smoothie King Center.

After Trey Murphy missed his three-point attempt, Grant and Missi battled for the rebound. They locked arms under the basket, which led to a lot of pushing and pulling, and eventually, to a physical altercation.

Teammates had to break them apart, and luckily, cooler heads prevailed. Grant and Missi were ejected from the game. Shaedon Sharpe and Herb Jones, meanwhile, were each whistled for a technical foul.

Some could argue that the ejections were too harsh since no punches were thrown, but perhaps the referees didn't want anything to spiral out of control.

The injury-stricken Pelicans are already without Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole due to injuries, and the exit of Missi surely won't help their cause. New Orleans is struggling with a 2-8 record, including 1-2 at home.

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Grant, meanwhile, has been the Trail Blazers' top weapon off the bench, and his ejection has forced the team to find other scoring options. Grant is averaging 19.7 points on 48.3% shooting. Portland is sitting on a 5-5 card.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly stressed that fighting won't be tolerated, underscoring the responsibility of players to stay professional. But of course, as competitors, they can't keep their emotions in check at times.

Grant and Missi could face hefty fines from the league because of their incident.

As of writing, the Pelicans are leading the Trail Blazers at halftime, 59-57.