Fresh off a last-second loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, the Orlando Magic wandered into Staples Center and promptly got their doors blown off by the Los Angeles Clippers, 114-86. Third-year Magic power forward Kyle O’Quinn certainly didn’t waste any time contributing to the losing cause. If you look above, you’ll see poor Kyle attempting a mid-range jumper in the opening minutes of the game. Unfortunately, it went backwards — all the way into back court. As no Clippers player had touched it, O’Quinn picked up the ball to make the over-and-back violation official. Then, he decided to take a practice shot into the Clippers’ basket and was promptly whistled for a delay of game.
That would have been enough embarrassment for one night, but his exit from the game only added insult to injury. Midway through the second quarter, O’Quinn went up to challenge Blake Griffin on a drive to the hoop, and made contact with the ball for a legitimate block. Unfortunately, his arm smacked Griffin squarely in the face on the follow through, and the referees determined it was worthy of a Flagrant 2. A Flagrant 2 is an automatic ejection, so O’Quinn’s night ended there — albeit rather unfairly considering how the play unfolded.
I’m sure the league will review the play and downgrade O’Quinn’s offense to a Flagrant 1 (because that’s what the league does), which means O’Quinn never should have been ejected. Not that it would have mattered, considering the outcome of the game.
[.gif via Reddit]
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