BOSTON — The unthinkable happened Wednesday night at TD Garden: Kemba Walker got ejected.
The two-time Sportsmanship Award winner was tossed from the Boston Celtics’ 129-114 loss to the San Antonio Spurs midway through the third quarter. The Celtics were gaining steam at the time, trimming the Spurs’ 20-point lead to nine before things started falling apart.
Walker toppled to the ground after running into a LaMarcus Aldridge screen, but no foul was called. Walker understandably was unhappy with the non-call, so he let the game officials hear it.
And in the blink of an eye, Walker was gone.
Kemba Walker has been ejected from game vs. Spurs ? pic.twitter.com/cXCXaRaiAO
— Marcus Smart Day on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 9, 2020
One fan was so angry, they tossed their beer over the Spurs bench and onto the court.
Kemba got ejected after a hard foul and then a Boston fan threw a beer onto the court ? pic.twitter.com/FnHlzPZQbp
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 9, 2020
After the game, the crew chief Rodney Mott said it was “a difficult play” to call in real-time, but, “we deem the screen as legal, as LaMarcus was set.”
POOL REPORT ON THE KEMBA WALKER EJECTION: pic.twitter.com/ymHTQJJeRw
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) January 9, 2020
This is the first time Walker has been ejected in his NBA career, and it certainly didn’t help the Celtics’ momentum either. And while Walker had plenty to say about the call on the court, he was much briefer after the game.
“I guess tonight (the ref) felt I said a little bit too much, so it was his choice,” Walker said. “Obviously it’s on those guys to make the decision, and he made it.”
That said, he still is a little salty about the situation.
“I mean, it’s the first time I’ve been ejected in my whole life. I am a two-time Sportsmanship Award winner as well. So maybe I should get a little leeway,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve watched a lot of basketball, and I see other guys do a lot worse. But like I said, the choice was his. He made it.”
Here are some more notes from Wednesday’s Celtics-Spurs game:
— Tacko Time came early to TD Garden on Wednesday.
Fall entered the game midway through the second quarter, racking up four points and three rebounds in 10 minutes on the court. But he isn’t taking all the credit for his recent success.
“Brad is a great coach,” Fall said after the game. “He’s definitely putting me in situations where I’ll be able to play well on the court and every time he puts me on the court, that’s what I try to do.”
— The Celtics didn’t play their best, but the Spurs sure looked good.
San Antonio scored 129 points on 55.2 percent shooting, compared to Boston’s 114 on 41.6 percent. What’s more, the Spurs outpaced the Celtics in total rebounds (49 to 39), blocks (six to two) and points in the paint (50 to 36).
“We didn’t play hard enough,” Stevens said. “San Antonio played hard. We didn’t. … We’re not playing our game the last two games. Bottom line. Other teams deserve credit for beating us. They obviously played great. I don’t want to take anything away from them. San Antonio was awesome. … If you’re not going to play your max, you’re going to get beat in this league.”
— The Celtics ship off to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers in Game 2 of their back-to-back set. And after a tough loss at home, Boston has little time to regroup.
“If we don’t play hard again, then we’ll get pounded again,” Stevens said.
Tip-off from Wells Fargo Center is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
