Jayson Tatum didn’t like the ejection that was slapped against Al Horford in the Boston Celtics’ 117-109 Friday loss against the Orlando Magic.
Horford was thrown out of the game after throwing an elbow on Orlando big man Mo Wagner’s midsection in the early third period, but Tatum had some other thoughts about the said moment.
āThat was unbelievable,ā Tatum said, courtesy of MassLive’s Brian Robb. āI couldnāt believe Al got thrown out of the game. I didnāt think that was warranted, especially once they went to go review and they saw that Mo fouled him first. Thatās why I got to shoot free throws. So I mean, sometimes guy get tired of people grabbing on him and the ref not seeing it, so (expletive) as a grown man, you take it into his own hands and get somebody up off of you, and thatās all he did, just got him up off him because he was getting fouled. I donāt think Al deserved to get thrown out of the game at all.ā
Both Horford and Wagner were having a physical battle for a loose ball prior to the said play, wherein the referees whistled a foul against the former Michigan star.
In what could be a response to the physicality thrown by Wagner, the veteran hurled an elbow during the following inbound play that prompted the young center to mince in sheer pain. The officials quickly called a video review and filed a flagrant two-foul against Horford ā an automatic ejection.
āIt was all about tonight, what was going on, Al getting kick out of the game, I didnāt think that was the right call,ā he said. So it didnāt have anything to do with before the game started, we just lost the game.ā
Horford’s absence paved the way for the Magic to dominate the shaded area. With their lead already ballooning to double digits, Orlando capitalized on the control of the glass throughout the match, compiling 53 total boards that outmatched the Celtics’ 38.
The unexpected young Magic kept their foot on the gas pedal and sealed their sizzling fifth-straight shocker win entering the weekend against the current season’s best. With a season rematch looming on Sunday, Tatum calls for a much improved defensive approach.