Australian NBA star Joe Ingles was one of four players ejected as a spiteful clash between the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers descended into a heated melee.
Despite coming into the match unbeaten on its home floor, Ingles’ Utah side succumbed to the Pacers in a shock 111-100 home loss, a result which dropped the Jazz to an 8-4 record for the season.
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All hell broke loose in the fourth quarter when Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Indiana’s Myles Turner tangled under Utah’s basket following a missed lay up from Gobert.
As the Pacers ran up the court, Gobert held Turner down by his shorts in an attempt to stop the Indiana big man from joining his teammates in transition.
Turner retaliated and bumped into Gobert, before the pair engaged in a wrestling match that was eventually broken up by officials and assistant coaches from both sides.
Ingles, who was on the court at the time, also rushed in to remonstrate but in doing so pushed veteran referee Ed Malloy and was given his marching orders just minutes later alongside Gobert, Turner and Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
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Following the game, Malloy explained the decision to send Ingles on his way, saying the Aussie had been ejected due to “making contact with an official and acting as an instigator and escalating the situation”.
However, Malloy added that the contact was not deemed intentional. It remains to be seen whether Ingles is required to serve a suspension of any sort for his actions.
As per the NBA rulebook: “Any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game. A fine and/or longer period of suspension will result if circumstances so dictate.”
While Utah coach Quin Snyder did not take exception to the Ingles and Gobert ejections, he was left confused as to why Mitchell had also been tossed from the game.
According to referee Malloy, Mitchell, like Ingles, was tossed for “acting as an instigator and escalating the situation”.
Mitchell did not mince his words after the game, taking aim at the officials and seemingly placing some of the blame of the fracas on the officiating crew.
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“The referees are allowing this to get out of hand,” he said.
“At some point it’s continuing to build. You have to draw the line, otherwise things are going to get out of hand. The officiating is inconsistent and there’s built up frustration.
“That shouldn’t happen. You have to draw the line early. Otherwise, stuff like this happens.”