Many were furious and disgusted against the game officials of the Denver Nuggets-Indiana Pacers match after ejecting Austin Rivers.
The reason? Raising an elbow that didn’t even severely hit Lance Stephenson.
Rivers received his second technical and was tossed out in the dugout because of the action. The two were initially slapped with the said violation after a heated altercation in front of the Indiana bench.
Following the game wherein the Nuggets eventually outlasted the Pacers, 125-118, Rivers posted a story on Instagram to express his disbelief at the incident. The veteran made it clear that he understands Stephenson’s notorious antics, but he disagrees with the decision that was handed by Tony Brothers and the referee crew against him.
Head coach Michael Malone noted post-game that the Nuggets will talk to the league regarding the officiating that happened on Rivers. Malone said that Brothers’ primary reason for removing the guard from the game is doing that “malicious” act that didn’t need a contact.
Indeed, the NBA has to land a decision properly on the hilarious play that happened. With fans and other players being puzzled about Rivers going out of the ball game because of an unjustifiable reason, credibility is definitely at stake.
So far, the NBA hasn’t released any statement yet on the unbelievable call made and the premature exit of Rivers.
