As the ongoing beef between the NBA referees and the players is getting heated up, Kevin Durant has earned his fourth ejection this season. In the Golden State Warriors 123-112 win against the New York Knicks, Durant was sent to the locker room with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter. According to the Warriors forward, his ejection is a result of him being targeted by the official James Williams.
“Well, the first half, I was dribbling up the right side and I made a left-to-right cross, and he said I carried,” – said Durant after the game. “I kind of let that go. I asked him where he got the carry from. He said I froze the defender, and I said that’s what the crossover is for and that’s why I do it, to freeze my defender. And he tried to make a bunch of excuses, and I told him he was wrong, and he went into halftime probably with an attitude. So the second half, his whole thing is like he’s trying to get me.“
Durant received a first technical foul in the third quarter after slamming the ball, frustrated over a call. Then he got the second technical and was ejected in the fourth after he protested about the play in which he thought he should get a foul call. These were Durant’s ninth and tenth technical fouls this season. Interesting thing is that Draymond Green (11 technical and two ejections), who is considered a troublemaker in the Warriors’ team, tried to calm Durant and stop him from giving referees a piece of his mind. Prior to 2017-18, Kevin Durant only had one ejection during his entire career.
