The Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers clashed on Friday night, with the New Yorkers taking their third win of the season, giving the Pacers their fifth defeat in the young campaign.
James Harden apparently unlocked the refs’ code and went to the free-throw line several times during the match, and LaMarcus Aldridge reached 20K career points in this big win.
But, one of the biggest moments of the night happened when Kevin Durant threw the ball into the stands and didn’t get ejected. With 4:40 minutes left on the 3rd quarter, the player tossed the ball after getting fouled, then clapping his hands out of frustration.
The refs didn’t do anything, letting the player go away with it. After the game was over, rival head coach Rick Carlisle expressed his surprise after the referees allowed KD to continue on the game.
Via The Athletic:
“I think I saw Kevin Durant wind up and throw the ball overhand, 10 or 15 rows into the stands and not get ejected,” Carlisle said with a laugh after the game. “I think that’s what I saw. And so that was shocking.”
“I’m not going to share the explanation because I don’t want to embarrass the officials. I don’t want to embarrass the league. These guys are nice guys. They just made a big error. The league will address it.”
“You don’t want to hear the explanation,” continued Carlisle, who is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. “And at this point, it doesn’t matter, because it’s not going to change the outcome. But it’s something that’s a significant thing that just can’t be missed, that’s all.”
This decision obviously didn’t sit well with the former Dallas Mavericks head coach. Under normal circumstances, KD would have been ejected after that questionable action. He wasn’t and the Nets won the game with a 105-98 final result.
This season, Steve Nash’s squad has struggled to find their touch, but they’re sure things will get back on track. If they see the Pacers, things are worse. They have won only one game, ranking 14th in the Eastern Conference, only above the Detroit Pistons.
Durant finished the game with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while James Harden added 29 points with 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
