Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford lost his cool during Thursday’s contest against the Indiana Pacers. He also may have lost the game for his team as well. Watford was ejected late in the fourth quarter after shoving multiple Indiana Pacers players, including Myles Turner.
The incident occurred with just under five minutes to go in regulation. With the Pacers in catch-up mode, guard Bennedict Mathurin hit a shot to cut the team’s deficit to five points. As both teams were running back down the court, Watford shoved Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard. Turner got involved, and was promptly shoved by Watford, which started a scuffle.
Benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. While cooler heads may have ultimately prevailed, the officials still decided to take action. Officials issued two double technical fouls. Watford and Turner were the recipients of the first double technical. Watford then was charged with another, as he and Nembhard were also charged with technicals for instigating the scuffle.
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Since Watford received two technical fouls, he was ejected from the contest. He finished the game with 15 points and five rebounds.
Watford’s ejection may have been the deciding factor in Thursday’s game. The Pacers used the adrenaline from the incident to promptly tie things up. Both teams traded baskets in the final minutes, sending the game to overtime.
Indiana found its footing late in overtime, going on an 11-3 run in the final two minutes to win the contest 105-99. After the ejection, Watford could only watch from the locker room as his team fumbled the game away.
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