Facing as deep a deficit as a 36-point hole, tempers were flaring for the San Antonio Spurs, with several players getting into verbal altercations with some of the Houston Rockets.
First was Jonathon Simmons with Rockets swingman Trevor Ariza, then Dewayne Dedmon with James Harden, which got Nene ejected after putting his hand near Dedmon's throat.
Frustration boiling over for the Spurs pic.twitter.com/nFvKiNrWoi
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 2, 2017
Simmons and Ariza were warned and separated in the dying seconds of the third quarter, and Dedmon, Harden, and Nene were hit with technical fouls, with the latter consequently ejected upon further review.
The Spurs big man later took his high-octane temper out on the rim, but it proved too little, too late for the Spurs.
Dedmon taking some frustration out on the rimpic.twitter.com/MrGeRrAcVO
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) May 2, 2017
While many question if the action was ejection-worthy, any intentional contact above a player's shoulders will merit an ejection according to the NBA rulebook.
Things haven't gone well at all for the Spurs, as the Rockets have completely snapped their home court advantage in Game 1, getting five different players with two or more made three-pointers on the night. We should expect a major change from the Spurs in Game 2 after the beating the players are bound to get in practice from Coach Pop. If you're interested in learning more about the Spurs odds in Game 2, read the game review by our friends over at SportsBettingExperts.com.
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