NBA referees can be inconsistent, but one rule is almost always enforced – don't throw the ball at an official. But late in the San Antonio Spurs' Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan broke that rule.
DeMar DeRozan got ejected after throwing the ball at referee Scott Foster pic.twitter.com/DputKRy0yT
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 20, 2019
With his team already down 18 points late in the fourth quarter, DeRozan tried to drive to the hoop. But there was contact on the play and DeRozan was called for a charge. He disagreed with the call, believing it should have been a block called against the defender, and chucked the basketball in referee Scott Foster's direction. DeRozan was immediately charged with a technical foul and ejected.
Foster is one of the NBA's most controversial referees. But this time, he appeared to make the right call, and ejecting DeRozan was the correct decision as well. Such behavior is heavily frowned upon by the league. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see DeRoxan receive a fine in the coming days.
This could have been frustration boiling over for the Spurs. The Western Conference's seventh seed entered Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead over the second-seeded Nuggets. But a few hours later, they saw the series tied at two games apiece as it heads back to Denver.
DeRozan was one of San Antonio's best players in the regular season after being acquired in an offseason trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. The 29-year-old averaged 21.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists during the regular season. He's been impressive so far in the 2019 playoffs, too, posting a double-double in Game 1 and scoring 31 points in Game 2.
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