The Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors matched up on Tuesday evening in Tampa, with the Lakers still short-handed and the Raptors attempting to build off the recent success of back-to-back wins. In the early going, the Lakers were in control to the tune of a 34-20 lead and, late in the first quarter, Dennis Schröder attempted to stop OG Anunoby in transition.
Schröder and Anunoby were tangled up from there, though, and Anunoby essentially pickedSchröder up and dropped him on the baseline. As you may imagine, a scuffle ensued.
The Lakers and Raptors had to be separated after a physical play between Dennis Schröder and OG Anunoby.
Anunoby and Montrezl Harrell were ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/hBNxjGyWWv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 7, 2021
In the end, both Anunoby and Montrezl Harrell were ejected for their roles in the back and forth. Harrell immediately joined the fray, going at it with Gary Trent Jr. within seconds of the initial play, and even with the separation that usually transpires in these instances, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the game.
Anunoby’s initial reaction was certainly the inciting incident and, as a result, the Raptors lost one of the league’s best perimeter defenders for the remainder of the game. It isn’t every day that an NBA player is picked up and dropped onto the hardwood as a result of a non-basketball scuffle, but that’s what happened here.