Aussie NBA star Joe Ingles was booted out of the stadium on Thursday afternoon (AEDT), forbidden by match officials to return.
Aussie NBA star Joe Ingles couldn’t even make it to halftime in Thursday afternoon’s game (AEDT) before he was ejected from the stadium for the third time this season.
What was supposed to be a triumphant return from the league’s health and safety protocols quickly became a disaster for Ingles, who had committed two technical fouls by midway through the second quarter of the Utah Jazz’s clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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He was first tech-fouled for losing his cool at Cavs big man Jarrett Allen in the first quarter. In the second, when Jazz teammate Bojan Bogdanović was denied what he believed was a foul, Ingles once again flew into a rage – this time at the match officials.
The referees responded by ejecting the Aussie, whose seven tech fouls for the season put him just shy of league leaders Joel Embiid, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony (nine).
“It’s a big loss for the Jazz,” said Jazz legend Thurl Bailey in commentary.
“You’ve got to embrace that these officials are going to miss stuff.
“Joe’s not standing for it, but neither are the officials.”
Jazz play-by-play commentator Craig Bolerjack questioned whether the referees had overreacted, though.
“I’m not sure that warrants a toss. I don’t know what was said, though,” he said.
Ingles’ blunder put more pressure on the undermanned Jazz, whose ranks have already been depleted by a Covid-19 outbreak in the new year.
After Ingles was ejected from the contest, there were only eight Jazz players available for the remainder of the game.
“It’s just a shame that Joe wasn’t smarter in that situation,” said Jazz broadcast analyst Holly Rowe.
“He knew he already had a technical foul, he didn’t need to go in and step in on that.”
A sluggish third quarter, in which the Cavs outscored the Jazz 30-16, was largely to blame for Utah’s eventual 111-91 loss.
It wasn’t the first time this season that match officials had tired of Ingles’ antics.
In November, he was ejected from the Jazz’s clash with the Indiana Pacers for shoving a referee during a melee.
He was also shown the door against the Sacramento Kings in October after he committed a flagrant foul on Kings rookie Davion Mitchell.
Elsewhere, the best efforts of Aussie young gun Josh Green couldn’t stop the New York Knicks from halting the Dallas Mavericks’ six-game winning streak, 108-85.
After struggling for minutes earlier in the season, Green has begun earning more time on the floor but was less effective on Thursday and managed only one point, two rebounds and one steal from his 11 minutes.
Aussie big man Jock Landale returned from a back injury for the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, but the Houston Rockets had his side’s measure, winning by four points.
Unlike his countrymen, Boomers captain Patty Mills got a win on Thursday.
Mills landed six three-pointers to help his Brooklyn Nets to a 138-112 win over the Chicago Bulls, who lead the NBA’s Eastern Conference.