An altercation broke out between the Pelicans and Trail Blazers during the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game in New Orleans, leading to two ejections.
Portland’s Jerami Grant and New Orleans’ Yves Missi were both kicked out of the game after they got into a pushing match underneath one of the baskets that drew other players in to try and break things up.
The scuffle nearly spilled into the front row at Smoothie King Center.
Trey Murphy of the Pelicans missed a 3-point attempt, leading to Grant and Missi battling for position for a rebound before the two got locked up with one another.
The pair pushed and shoved before a referee and their respective teammates attempted to separate them.
No punches were thrown, and order was restored relatively quickly.
Nevertheless, both Grant and Missi were handed unsportsmanlike technical fouls and ejected from the game as a result of the incident.
Shaedon Sharpe and Herbert Jones were also given double technical fouls for their roles in the hullabaloo.
The Trail Blazers went on to win the game, 125-117, for their sixth win of the season.
Grant ended up with two points, two rebounds and an assist in seven minutes off the bench. Missi recorded a block in 10 minutes after coming off the bench.
The loss dropped the Pelicans to 2-9 on the season, as New Orleans played the game without Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Jordan Poole (quad).
There is the possibility that Grant and Missi could face further discipline in the way of fines if the NBA sees fit.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
