Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is known as one of the feistiest players on the court due to his hustle and tenacity. The one-time NBA champ will do anything to help his team win, and that includes pulling off a little martial arts action if the need arises.
In the 8:43 mark of the fourth quarter of their tough 120-116 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Lowry took a karate swipe at Eric Bledsoe after falling on the floor while guarding him on the perimeter. The hit caused Bledsoe to take a pretty nasty fall on his front side. Things certainly could have gone worse had the Pelicans guard made a wrong landing.
Referees are reviewing this for a possible flagrant foul. pic.twitter.com/K2POphVgqI
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) January 3, 2021
The referees reviewed the play and ultimately issued Kyle Lowry a Flagrant 1 foul. From what it looks like, the Raptors star clearly did not have any ill intent towards Eric Bledsoe. He made a play for the ball and it was just unfortunate that he caught Bledsoe's legs as the latter drove past him.
While it certainly looked like the 6-foot guard was swiping for the ball, officials thought the contact was unwarranted. Under the NBA's rule book, a flagrant foul penalty 1 is defined as “unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent.”
The Raptors trailed by as much as 10 points with 5:38 remaining in the fourth. They made a furious comeback down the stretch to eventually take the lead, 113-111, after a Lowry layup with just under three minutes left. Unfortunately, the Raps couldn't close the deal and dropped to 1-4 on the season. Bledsoe even had the last laugh, as he made the go-ahead triple with 42 seconds left that ultimately give the Pelicans the win.
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