DeMar DeRozan explained after the Spurs' 117-103 Game 4 loss to the Nuggets on Saturday why he threw a ball toward referee Scott Foster, ultimately leading to his ejection from the game.
The San Antonio guard said emotions may have gotten the best of him. When asked about what led to his ejection, DeRozan simply explained (via ESPN): "Frustration. I thought it was a bad call. Combination of both."
DeMar DeRozan ejected after throwing fastball at ref Scott Foster pic.twitter.com/B6iPUiowjN
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 20, 2019
DeRozan lets the ref know he's doing a poor job pic.twitter.com/UXl5Q0Mplp
— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) April 20, 2019
With the Spurs down 110-92, DeRozan was called for a charge on Nuggets guard Gary Harris after driving to the hoop. DeRozan immediately threw the ball toward Foster, resulting in two technical fouls and an ejection. It's also possible DeRozan could receive punishment from the league for his actions.
DeRozan finished the night with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds.
The Spurs' loss evened the series 2-2 after San Antonio won Games 1 and 3 of the opening round. Coach Gregg Popovich expressed displeasure with the way San Antonio played, calling his team's performance "poor."
"Overall, the Nuggets competed and we did not," Popovich said, per KSAT. "Their physicality was obvious from the get-go. You knew that was going to happen and we did not respond."
The Spurs will travel to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday with tip-off set for 9:30 p.m. ET, and they're confident they will be able to bounce back.
"There is no doubt in my mind next game we're definitely going to approach it like its a must win for us. So it's definitely going to be a battle next game," DeRozan said.