Despite inching a win closer to a seat in the Eastern Conference playoffs in Monday night's 120-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, star forward Paul George wasn't the happiest around after receiving two technical fouls and a consequent ejection late in the game.

The Indiana Pacers talisman was elbowed in a scuffle with Sixers forward Gerald Henderson, who's had a reputation of an instigator through his eight NBA seasons.

“He was throwing jabs & punches at my stomach all night,” George told Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star following the game. “So he pulled me down, I get double tech for doing nothing and then throw an elbow at my neck and I get another tech for nothing.”

The strange call drew visibly puzzled reactions from George and head coach Nate McMillan, though Henderson insisted his foul was merely accidental.

“I didn't intentionally try to hit him,” Henderson told Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly.

For George, who finished the night with 27 points despite leaving with 5:08 to go in the fourth, Henderson's overly physical tactics were a personal matter.

“For whatever reason, he doesn’t like getting scored on by me. I get this every time he’s at home,” said George. “I guess (home) that’s where he feels confident. He’s sweet on the road, but at home is when he gets some nuts.”

This isn't the first and unlikely the last time Henderson gets into it with an opponent's superstar, as he's made a living off coming off the bench and do just that — frustrate his matchup or even better, get them out of the game.

The Pacers managed to win by nine points and now secure their own fate with a win in the season finale against the recently hot Atlanta Hawks.