With just 30 seconds left in the game between Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets, Scotty Barnes he was sent off for the first time in his career.
It all started when Jamal Murray threw a 3-point pass to Aaron Gordon just below the rim. This one was fouled by Jakob Poeltl with minutes to go and with the Canadians one down on the board.
There was some confusion as to who had been flagged for a foul by the baseline referee, Scott Foster, who initially indicated that it was Scottie Barnes who fouled despite being offside.
Barnes threw up his hands in disbelief at this decision, and who knows what he said, but Foster responded with an unexpected technical foul and ejected the youngster from the game by yelling: “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all games: United States | The rest of the world
The other two members of the arbitration panel, Nick Bachert and Robert Hussey, looked as surprised as Barnes by the ejection.
Scottie Barnes was ejected for the first time in his career in this game in the final seconds of the game. pic.twitter.com/ebyhWL9Twt
—NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 7, 2023
Barnes and Foster weren’t done, the two exchanged words as the 21-year-old left the field.
In his postgame press conference, the Raptors player said of the toss: “I was talking to myself and I think he took offense and took me out of the game.”
Raptors coach Nick Nurse was less diplomatic about his take on the launch: “There was absolutely nothing there,” the coach said. “It was a great game that looked like it was going to have a great finish and it was a bit unfortunate that we didn’t get to see it.”
“I guess they were just crazy. I do not know.”
Scottie Barnes and Nick Nurse discuss the late call during the Raptors-Nuggets game that got Scottie ejected by referee Scott Foster pic.twitter.com/PXdABMmTwU
—Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) March 7, 2023
Fans in the United Statesyou can watch the best games of the 2022-2023 NBA season at Sling TV. Register by clicking here.
In the post-match interview, Scott Foster was asked about what happened in the final minutes as well as the incident. “Why was Scotty Barnes ejected at the end of the game?”. Foster replied: “He was sent off for a technical foul because he used words that directly challenged the integrity of the referees.”
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
