OKLAHOMA CITY — Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen was ejected from an NBA Cup quarterfinal game against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night after he shoved Thunder center Chet Holmgren and knocked him to the floor.
The Thunder led 94-58 with 5:18 left in the third quarter when Allen and Holmgren collided while Holmgren appeared to be setting a screen. Allen extended both arms, knocking Holmgren to the floor. After the foul, the teams came together in a skirmish near where the play occurred. The play was reviewed, and Allen was called for a flagrant 2, drawing a roar from the crowd.
“I think something happened like the play before so it’s probably like some frustration there, but just make sure I have Chet’s back and then that’s really about it,” Thunder guard Jalen Williams said after Oklahoma City’s 138-89 win. “It’s not anything really to be like blown up as bad as I want it to be something that’s blown up. It’s the NBA. Nobody really fights anyway.”
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Suns coach Jordan Ott said he tried to explain to officials that they missed a potential foul on the previous play.
“So then that’s what happens in these environments,” he said. “If you miss the first, we gotta have a better response for sure.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he was satisfied with the response from officials.
“We can’t control that but I thought the refs handled the situation well,” he said. “And those things can get a little squirrelly from time to time if the refs don’t handle it with a firm hand. I thought they handled it appropriately tonight.”
Allen finished with 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
