The San Antonio Spurs began a two-game series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, but the game ended a tad earlier for venerable Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as he was ejected with under four minutes to go in the second quarter after an odd sequence led to a wide-open layup.
Based on the video, it looked as if DeMar DeRozan got fouled making his way towards the basket by Lakers center Marc Gasol. But no whistle was called. Then, as DeRozan was careening away from the hoop following the contact, Spurs big man Drew Eubanks hit the deck as did Lakers star Anthony Davis. The non-call led to a wide-open layup for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the other end, giving the Purple and Gold a 52-41 lead.
Popovich, who is known for his sharp wit, believed there was enough contact on DeRozan to warrant a shooting foul. The referees obviously disagreed.
After the unmolested bucket, he angrily barked at the referees, apparently spewing out enough vitriol to send him packing to the locker room early.
Popovich and the Spurs came into the game with a 2-1 record, dropping their last game against the New Orleans Pelicans by only three points on Sunday.
The Lakers, on the other hand, hold a 2-2 slate before tonight’s assignment. They are also coming off a defeat after losing to the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Gregg Popovich admitted prior to the season that he needs to have a different approach to this campaign after the Spurs missed the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 23 years last season.
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