New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The NBA says Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin should not have been ejected from Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors.
Griffin was automatically ejected from the Christmas Day game after picking up his second technical foul following an altercation with Golden State's Andrew Bogut early in the fourth quarter.
The players were tangled up battling for a rebound when Bogut used his elbow to ward off Griffin and then grabbed his jersey. Bogut was called for a Flagrant 1 foul and Griffin was issued his second technical foul despite appearing to disengage from the scrum, which is what the NBA cited on Thursday.
"After a league review of the Clippers-Warriors game, we have come to the conclusion that Blake Griffin should not have been ejected from the game," NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in a statement.
"A common foul should have been called on Griffin for initially attempting to dislodge the Warriors' Andrew Bogut and a technical foul should have been assessed to Bogut for grabbing Griffin by the shirt and wrestling with him."
Griffin was called for his first technical foul at the end of the third quarter after Golden State's Draymond Green elbowed him in the throat. Green, who was tossed from the game, was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Thursday.
Golden State won the game 105-103.
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