Brook Lopez Got Ejected After Taking Off Gary Trent Jr’s Headband In A Bucks And Raptors Skirmish

Midway through the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, Gary Trent Jr. and Brook Lopez engaged in a brief shoving match off the ball. As Jrue Holiday attempted and made a left-handed runner, Lopez and Trent got tangled up, which resulted in Lopez removing Trent’s headband and moving him deeper into the baseline.

Trent’s teammate, OG Anunoby, presumably took exception to those acts from Lopez and confronted the 7’1 center. That decision ignited a much larger shoving match involving various members of both teams, including Raptors assistant coaches.

After a somewhat lengthy deliberation period among the officials, Lopez received two separate technical fouls, while Anunoby and assistant Jamaal Magloire earned one tech each themselves. Referee Bill Kennedy didn’t vocalize what exactly Lopez did to warrant a pair of techs, but the headband removal and subsequent shoving likely did the trick to end his night early.

Lopez’s exit left the Bucks without three starters, as both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton didn’t suit up because of knee soreness. However, Jrue Holiday stepped up on both ends all night, especially once Lopez left the game. He notched 37 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block to help Milwaukee outlast Toronto, 130-22, despite Fred VanVleet’s 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The win moved the Bucks to 29-16, while the Raptors fell to 20-25.