The Golden State Warriors were en route to a convincing yet largely forgettable win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday when Lester Quinones went up for a layup with just over 12 seconds remaining.
Miles Bridges apparently took exception to Quinones trying to score with the game already decided, goaltending the shot before giving Quinones a forearm to the chest, sparking a late-game fracas that included four technical fouls and two ejections.
Grant Williams entered the fray after Quinones and Bridges first got into it. The Hornets forward quickly went forehead to forehead with Quinones as players, officials and security personnel from both teams intervened.
Following video review, officials assessed two technical fouls, and an automatic ejection, to Quinones, one each for his interactions with Bridges and Williams. Officials handed Bridges a technical foul as well, while Williams also received a technical and was ejected for escalating the situation.
Steve Kerr and Golden State's bench seemed frustrated and then bemused once officials separated the teams. Opinions differ on the unwritten basketball rule of the winning team letting the clock run out with a victory already assured.
However, there was a two-second difference between the game and shot clocks when Quinones went up to score. Were the Dubs just supposed to settle for a shot-clock violation? Bridges and Williams apparently thought so.
Golden State, by the way, beat Charlotte 97-84 on the second leg of a back-to-back. The surging Warriors are now 29-26, in a virtual tie for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Follow Us
Subscribe
