Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges took to social media after he was ejected from the team’s 132-103 play-in loss to the host Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, calling his actions as he exited to court “unacceptable.”
With Atlanta up big in the second half and Charlotte’s season winding down to its end, Bridges was whistled for a goaltending call on De’Andre Hunter midway through the fourth quarter and immediately went after game official James Williams, who called two quick technicals on the fourth-year player.
As Bridges left the court and headed to the Charlotte locker, a Hawks fan yelled in his direction, leading him to turn around and throw his mouthpiece, which appeared to hit a young woman standing up in one of State Farm Arena’s lower seats.
“Somebody get me in contact with the young lady,” Bridges tweeted later Wednesday night. “That’s unacceptable.”
It was among the low points on a night filled with several of them for Charlotte, which was overwhelmed in the 9-10 play-in game for the second year in a row and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
Asked about Bridges’ actions after the loss, Charlotte coach James Borrego said he wasn’t aware of what happened.
“I’m sure we’ll gather some more information and I need some time to talk to Miles and I know he was very emotional at the time, so I’ll gather some more information,” Borrego said.
James Capers, the crew chief for Wednesday’s game, said Bridges was given the first technical because he “aggressively approached the official with a clenched fist.”
“He was ejected because he used profanity directed at the official and it was his second technical foul, by rule, that is an automatic ejection,” Capers said via the pool report.
Bridges is now subject to NBA discipline for his actions.
Source : ESPN
