OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen was ejected from an NBA Cup quarterfinal game against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night after he shoved Thunder center Chet Holmgren and knocked him to the floor.
The Thunder led 94-58 with 5:18 left in the third quarter when Allen and Holmgren collided while Holmgren appeared to be setting a screen. Allen extended both arms, knocking Holmgren off balance. After the foul, the teams came together in a skirmish near where the contact occurred. The play was reviewed, and Allen was called for a Flagrant 2, drawing a roar from the crowd.
Oklahoma City rolled to a 138-89 victory and advanced to a semifinal Saturday in Las Vegas.
Allen didn’t think the contact warranted an ejection. He had been knocked to the floor by Holmgren on a box-out shortly before the altercation.
“Felt like I gave a good foul within the physicality of the game and what was going on both ends, especially with the bumps on screens, some of the hits on block-outs that were happening,” said Allen, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
After the teams separated and the Thunder walked back to their bench, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams hyped the crowd up.
Williams said Allen’s antics were “a thing he’s done his whole career.”
“It just added more juice to the game,” Williams said. “The fans were into it a little bit more, so naturally, you’re playing a little harder. So it was kind of a good thing, to be honest. We started playing the way we usually play. A little more amped up.”
The Thunder outscored the Suns 44-31 the rest of the way, including 28-17 in the fourth quarter, to send Phoenix to its worst loss in franchise history.
“The game just, like, restarted,” Williams said. “And I think that bled over into the unit that finished the game. So you’ve got to give them props too.”
Phoenix guard Dillon Brooks, who has taken exception to Oklahoma City’s physical play in the past, said he didn’t match the Thunder’s energy.
“I played kind of soft today,” said Brooks, who led the Suns with 16 points. “I should have been mixing it up more instead of Grayson. They called two quick ones and I was weak. And then, shoot, I got to be better for my teammates, so maybe you get a better chance at winning.”
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