Chris Paul must have had early dinner reservations in Portland last night, getting ejected in the very first quarter of San Antonio’s matchup against the Trail Blazers.
Making the scene all the more bizarre, the veteran star received his two technical fouls in an 11-second span of game time to head to the showers. Bringing the ball up the court against the imposing physical presence of Scoot Henderson, Paul seemed frustrated that the physicality of Henderson wasn’t being called for a foul as he had the ball poked away but recovered. Voicing his displeasure resulted in the first technical foul.
Henderson only further increased the tension by applauding the whistle for the technical foul.
Paul then turned the ball over on the inbounds, which led to Anfernee Simons getting fouled on a drive and earning two free-throws. Paul saw the stoppage in play as another opportunity to jaw at the officials, getting his money’s worth over the course of both free-throw attempts before the referee finally had enough and issued the second technical foul.
It’s been speculated that Paul said, “You acting like the police,” to bring about the second technical foul and ejection. The 39-year-old veteran, with nothing left to say, silently left the court and proceeded to the back. Paul finished the night with five points, three rebounds, and four assists in 11 minutes.
Chris Paul to the ref:
“YOU ACTING LIKE THE POLICE”
Got ejected immediately after 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Zhuw0pHFEC
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) December 14, 2024
San Antonio did go on to win what was a thrilling game, 118-116, on the back of 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists from Victor Wembanyama. Devin Vassell also contributed 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 30 minutes off the bench. The Spurs improved to 13-12 with the win, tied with the Lakers for 10th in the West.
In his first season with the Spurs, Paul has proved a great veteran presence for the team and has performed on the court to the tune of 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists in 28 minutes per game.
The 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA team member has now been ejected six times in his career.
