Wizards' Isaiah Thomas ejected less than 2 minutes into game after contact with official
Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Washington Wizards reacts after being ejected during the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Capital One Arena on January 03, 2020 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON - It didn’t take long Friday night before Washington Wizards point guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected from the team’s home game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Less than two minutes into the NBA game, Thomas became tangled with Portland’s Carmelo Anthony – then made contact with referee Marat Kogut while trying to break free.
As a result, Thomas received a technical foul and was ejected.
“He made physical contact with the referee,” referee Mark Ayotte said in a report after the game. "It was definitely just a push during the dead ball contact with the referee.”
Wizards coach Scott Brooks thought the contact was accidental.
“I mean I had a different view of it obviously," Brooks told The Associated Press. "They were in a scrum and they were fighting for the ball, a jump ball. I had a view that it looked like he lost his balance but (Kogut) had a better view and then they looked at it. They looked at it so you would hope they made the right call.”
Thomas wasn't immediately available for comment.
Just last month, Thomas received a two-game suspension after walking into the stands in Philadelphia to confront two fans who were heckling him.
On Friday night, without Thomas and star Bradley Beal, the Wizards lost to Portland, 122-103.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.