Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas figured in arguably one of the fastest ejections in NBA history on Friday night, as he was disqualified by officials just 88 seconds into their match versus the Portland Trail Blazers at the Capital One Arena.
The two-time All-Star appeared to be asking for a foul to be called on Carmelo Anthony, as he got up close and personal with referee Marat Kogut at the 10:32 mark of the first quarter. Replays showed that the Wizards guard did make contact with the official, causing him to lose his balance.
Isaiah Thomas was ejected from tonight’s game after making contact with an official 😳
(via @NBCSNorthwest) pic.twitter.com/y0iRvdWCVL
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) January 4, 2020
Thomas was quickly tossed out of the ball game after the commotion, as he mouthed off “What did I do?” upon learning the call. Shortly after the match, NBA referee Mark Ayotte explained in detail what led to IT's sudden ejection.
“He made physical contact with a referee. It was definitely just a push during the dead ball contact with the referee,” he shared.
NBA referee Mark Ayotte, spoke to a pool reporter about why, Marat Kogut, ejected Isaiah Thomas early in the Blazers-Wizards game: "He made physical contact with a referee."
On what led to ejection: "It was definitely just a push during the dead ball contact with the referee." pic.twitter.com/T5VUPAn6ga
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 4, 2020
NBA players are allowed to interact with referees during games but cannot make physical contact with them, especially when arguing calls. Thomas' tight contact with Anthony at the time of the incident might have caused him to bump into the referee, but he did extend his hand right to Kogut's chest which definitely looked like an aggressive notion.
Entering Friday's game, Isaiah Thomas was averaging 13.5 points and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 41.5 from distance. The Wizards ended up losing to Blazers, 103-122, their seventh defeat in the last 10 games.
Now at 10-24, the Wizards are currently tied with the New York Knicks for the second worst record in the Eastern Conference. They are also facing some serious trouble, with the potential of dropping more in the standing seemingly likely, as they face the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics in their next two games.